Crimson Snow
by RussianRifle97
Summary: Crimson Dream has never had a special somepony. This was until Hearts and Hooves day came along and brought him one. A (relatable) story on love, friendship and something soon to come.
1. Episode 1: Two Hearts Joined

**The sound of wood splintering resounded through the orchard as I bucked yet another tree. My hind hooves ached as well as my back but it would be worth it; Parasol, Mana Springs and I were planning to go to the Arcade later today as they would both be pre-occupied with their special-someponies tomorrow for Hearts and Hooves day, which I had spent another year alone. "Hey, ahm ain't paying y'all to stand around, Crimson! Get to buckin'!" yelled Applejack a few trees away from me. "Sorry, AJ" my reply came out a little too downtrodden. "Ahm sorry, sugarcube. It's jus' Hearts and Hooves day is tomorr'a, and there's such a high demand in Apple Family products such as cider and baked goods. It's got me a little riled up as ah don't have as much help today as Big Mac is pre-occupah'd at the other side of the orchard with a caterpillar swarm and Apple Bloom is out crusading for her cutie mark, bless her heart".** **"Its okay, AJ, I'm just a little distracted is all. You see-" I stopped talking before I told her the REAL reason I was upset. "Ah see what? Come on, boy, now ah know sumthin's up". I sighed heavily and braced for the reaction. "Every year, on Hearts and Hooves day... I spend the day alone..." I held my breath as I waited for her to respond. "Don' worry, ah understand how yer feelin'... well, actually, ah don't really, but ahm pretty sure what it must feel like. Why don' you hang out with a friend o' yers who's alone this year?".** **"All my friends, well both my friends, have a special somepony. Parasol met a stallion last year at the Nightmare Night costume party at Sugarcube Corner, and Mana Springs met a mare just a few weeks ago at the Winter Wrap Up". Applejack looked at me with a pitiful gaze and sighed deliberately. "Ah know it hurts now, but y'all meet a special somepony sometime, ah mean... well... er..." AJ pondered something. I was grateful for the sympathy, but it just hurt more when she was struggling to think of someone who was alone, but unintentionally alone. "It's okay, AJ, lemme just finish my work and go". Applejack sighed exasperated and placed her hooves down from her pondering stance. "Ahm really sorry, sugarcube, it's jus' that, I don' know what to say. Ah've never really wanted a special somepony, so ah've never felt heartsick. Ah know yer feelin' sore now, but ahm sure there's someone out there for you. Why, yer jus' not looking hard enough, ah'd give you a hand in a search, but ah've got an orchard to harvest". She stopped talking, and place her muzzle into her side-satchel. She pulled out a small coinpurse and threw it at my feet. "Here, ah'll take care of th' rest of the orchard, y'all head off and go spend time with yer friends til tomorr'a, then if yer still feeling lonely tomorrow, come down to Sugarcube Corner with me and mah friends, Pinkie's throwing a Hearts and Hooves party fer all th' couples in Ponyville"** **"But I dont-"** **"Come down anyway, it'll be fun!"** **"Well, okay, thanks AJ!" I said as I turned to head for Ponyville. "See y'all tomorr'a!".**

**I sped into Ponyville, straight for the Arcade, passing by many denizens of Ponyville, (almost all with a special somepony), and waving to a few people on my way. A poster caught my eye for the new "Equine Kombat" game, it looked so cool! I subconsciously carried on running. "LOOK OUT!" I spun my head round and collided roughly with another pony. I only stumbled, the pony was knocked to the ground. "I am so sorry! I wasn't looking... oh, Parasol!".** **I helped the yellow pegasus back to her feet. "Really, Crimson, you should watch where you're going" she giggled lightly. "I'm so sorry, I was on my way to the Arcade" I explained. "You do realise the Arcade is about 10 yards back?". I looked back and the poster was actually on the entry-way. "Oh, heh" I replied, embarrased. She laughed mildy at my embarrasment, "Come on, Mana's already waiting for us".** **We entered the Arcade and scanned the area for Mana Springs. We found him in the "Everfree Escape" booth, leaping side to side erratically. We walked over to find him entranced with the game, but becoming increasingly aggravated with the fast moving Timber Wolf Alpha. "Stay... grrr... STILL!" He yelled at the screen in exasperation. The wolf bit savagely into the screen, which now displayed "GAME OVER". Mana shoved his hoof into his satchel and pulled out a bit, slid it into the coin port and sheathed the light gun into it's holder. His horn began to glow vividly and the screen began to crackle with static. Slowly, a mass of pixels began to leave the screen, and began to reform at Mana's hooves. Now, a Timber Wolf Alpha, now just a little smaller than an average pony was at the feet of Mana Springs. It looked around and began to howl a synthesised call, which was abruptly interrupted as Mana brought his frontal hooves down onto the Timber Wolf, causing it to fall into pixelated timber and twigs, flash for a while, and then dissipated. Mana laughed out loud maniacally while the screen displayed: "CONGRATULATIONS: YOU ESCAPED THE EVERFREE FOREST". Parasol and I just stifled our laughter as we watched him close by. He only stopped when he turned around and noticed us, which caused him to recoil in shock and crouch down slightly while his face turned bright red. Parasol and I burst into laughter as he smiled weakly while he was still bright red. "Uh... hey guys" he muttered. I knocked his shoulder playfully while still in a fit of giggles, "It's okay, Mana, we were the only ones that saw". He changed his expression from a weak smile to a wide grin. "Hehehe, so what are we playing first? The new Equine Kombat? Parasprite Outbreak? Ooh! Maybe-" BOOM! We looked at the source of the explosion, which was the booth that Mana was previously in. It had burst into violet flames. "Maybe you played with that one too hard" Parasol said, trying hard to suppress her laughter. "Well, now that I think of it I already have a Pony Entertainment System at home with some games so, lets go" he said quickly. He quickly ushered us out despite our uproarious laughter. Parasol, Mana Springs and I travelled to Mana's house. It was quickly darkening and the street lights were beginning to light up. "Well, here we are, my house" proclaimed Mana Springs. He swung open the door and flicked a light on. It was of modest build, a narrow hallway, with a door at the end, leading to the kitchen, and a door to the right, leading to the living room. "Mana! You're home!" called a white (coated) earth pony, with a vivid pink mane, with light pink stripes and a swirled lollipop cutie mark. "Hi, Candy, you know Parasol". She looked at Parasol from the top of the stairs and smiled warmly, "Good to see you again" she said kindly. Parasol simply said "Hi" and waved a hoof at her. "And this is Crimson Dream" Mana announced. She looked at me with a calculating face. I shuffled my hooves nervously, thinking she didn't like the look of me. "Are you okay?" She said. I looked up and tilted my head. "Me?" I asked perplexed. "Yes, you. You seem quiet. I thought with Hearts and Hooves coming up you'd be elated, spending the WHOLE day just with your own special somepony" she said, smiling compassionately. I looked down, my emotions shattered. Parasol winced noticably at the sting of her words. Mana Springs started "Oh! Erm... Candy. The thing is..." Candy's eyes widened at the realisation, "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"** **"It's okay, really, you... *sigh*... you didn't know". I looked up at her and tried my best to smile. Only a small grimace appeared. Candy looked down at me and looked crestfallen. She turned to Mana and gestured him to come upstairs. He made his way upstairs, but looked back, "The console is in the living room, guys. I'll be down in a minute" he smiled. "Okay, lets go, Crimson" Parasol said enthusiastically as she ushered me into the living room.** **We sat down on one of the hay bails placed around the room, which were amazingly comfortable, which made me realise how much my hooves and back ached from apple bucking. Parasol hovered over to the T.V. and turned on the P.E.S. which began to hum silently. "Whatcha wanna play?" she said in varying tones with each word said. It made me giggle at her playfullness and her attempt to cheer me up. "What we got?" I asked. "We have *hehehe* Everfree Escape, Super Equestria Land, Daring Doo and The Caverns of Ahuizotl, etcetera. Anything take your fancy?"** **"Hm. Maybe-" The door swung open and Mana stood there with an excited look on his face. He looked and me and said "You free tonight?". "Well of course, why?" I asked, partly excited and nervous. Candy walked in with a piece of paper in her mouth. She walked over to me and placed it down next to where I was sitting. "My friend doesn't have a special somepony and she likes the sound of you from Mana's description", she glanced back to Mana Springs who stood upright with a modest smile on his face, "and she is free tonight, you interested?"**

**I held the phone to my shoulder while Mana Springs, Parasol and I fought against each other in "Canterlot Arena 2", each ring making me more and more nervous as I waited for her to pick up. I was about to hang up when the last ring was abruptly interrupted and a voice said "Hello?". My whole body froze up, I was at a loss for words, what do I say!? Parasol smacked me upside the head with a wing without breaking concentration from the game, "Say something!" she said in an agitated tone. "Er, h-hello. I'm Crimson Dream. Is this Snow Sweet?". There was an uncomfortable silence as I waited her reply. "Oh! Hello!" she replied in an upbeat tone, "Mana Springs told me all about you! How are you?". Her sweet tone made me feel much more comfortable. "I'm good, how are you, how was your day?" I asked. Mana Springs and Parasol paused mid-game and turned to watch the phone call, both grinning comically. "Im okay, work has got me down a bit with the high rise of treat sales close to... Hearts and Hooves day" she replied, this time a little crestfallen. "Tell me about it" I said agreeably, looking down at my aching hooves. "Soo... " she enunciated "Candy tells me you don't have a... special somepony?". She was going to ask this quickly? What did Mana Springs say about me? I glanced over to Mana to see him waiting for my next words. He made a "go on" gesture by rolling his hoof in a small circle. "Well, no... I don't. Why do you ask?" I replied. "Well, neither do I. So, do you wanna... maybe..." she stopped mid-sentence. No turning back now, I had to bite the bullet. "Would you like to come to Sugar Cube Corner with me tonight for something to eat?" I blurted out. Silence. Oh no, why did I have to ask so soon? She's gonna think I'm- "Yes". What did she just say? "Pardon?" I asked. "Yes, I would like that very much". I did it! "Okay, what time do you want me to pick you up?"** **"How about now?" she asked, unfettered. "Sure!" I replied, "I'll come over now, where do you live?".**

**I made it to Snow Sweet's house, convienently it was near the Library. I raised a hoof to knock. Tap, tap, tap. I heard quick thudding and the door opened smoothly. "Hi". Snow Sweet was a pegasus with a light, ice blue coat. She had a dark blue mane, with cyan stripes and her eyes were a shiny teal colour. I was truly amazed at how she looked. "Hello" I said, with a noticably broken tone. She laughed at the break in my voice. "Ready to go?" I asked, fortunately with no break in tone. She smiled warmly, "Yeah, let's go!"**

**We walked down to Sugarcube Corner, side by side. It seemed like such a short walk as we spent all of the trip talking about anything and everything about ourselves. I found out that Snow Sweet worked in the frozen department of Ponyville Treats and Sweets, and as a pegasus, she was tasked with finding the cumulus nimbus clouds that created snow for the ice cream, (as hinted by her snowflake cutie mark). We arrived at Sugarcube Corner to find the door closed and covered with police tape. "What happened here?" I asked a pink earth pony with poofy hair. She sprang into the air, gasping loudly in shock "OH! Hey! Don't scare me like that. And I can't tell you that, it's doctor-patient confidential!" she said in a stern voice. "Don't you mean it's just confidential?" I asked quizzically. "Oh yeah! And how would you know that?". Suddenly her hair exploded outwards and then back to its poofy self. "You seem to know an awful lot about this here, I bet it's because YOU DID IT!" she yelled. "What!? No, I don't even know what happened here!" I retorted. "Well you should, cos you were the person who did-do-dunnit! And I have proof!" she exclaimed. I didn't reply, I wanted to watch this. "Exhibit A, you're hoofprints are at the scene of the crime!" she yelled, pointing at my newly-made hoof prints. "I just walked by there, that's why they're there" I said a-matter-of-factly. "Oh yeah!? Well-"** **"Pinkie!, what's with all the yelling?" a lavender unicorn asked. "I did found who did-dunnit, Twilight!" she claimed. "It was HIM!" she pointed at me. "I don't know what she's talking about" I replied exaperatedly. "No, Pinkie, it was me" said Twilight, eliciting a tremendous gasp from Pinkie. "I dropped a cupcake, went to the back of the shop to find a broom, and when I came out I found all the doors and windows covered in police tape".** **"Ooooooh! I get it. Sorry, Crimson, Snow. You two have fun!" she said before darting around the shop to remove the tape. How did she know my name? "So are we going in or are you still in Pinkie Pie's custody?" asked Snow Sweet in a giggly tone. I nodded and smiled as we entered the shop.** **We found a table near the window with no police tape with our freshly made treats. I ordered a simple oat and raisin muffin while Snow Sweet instead enjoyed a simple eclair. We just made idle talk while occasionally taking bites out of our baked goods. "Sorry about that" Twilight said apologetically. I didn't even know she was approaching. "It's okay, it's not the first time I've met someone unorthodox". I turned back to Snow Sweet to continue our conversation to find her gazing out the window at something. "Whats up?" I asked, slightly concerned. "I could've swore that trashcan just moved" she said, still entranced. I looked a little closer to search for something. "TWILIGHT!" yelled Pinkie who suddenly appeared from the behind the trashcans. Snow Sweet leapt back and screamed from shock while I fell backwards from the sudden appearance. Twilight didn't flinch. "Pinkie!" she scolded, "You scared the customers!". I looked up to find Pinkie giggling at me and Snow Sweet soon joined in. I blushed and smiled nervously.**

**The late night air was bitter and cold. I never really felt it but Snow Sweet was shivering mildly. I wanted to do something but I didn't want to push my luck. Soon her teeth began chattering lightly. Forget luck. I took my work shawl from my side-satchel and placed it on her back. She looked up at me with her shiny teal eyes, "Thank you". I smiled and nodded, "Your welcome!". We arrived at her house and she pushed the door open. "It's too late to wonder out on your own, why don't you stay over?" she asked. "It's okay, I don't want to impose. Besides, if anypony tries something funny, it'll be BAM!" I bucked out wildly, kicking the air. But back pain set in and I lost my balance and fell down... again. Snow laughed warmly, "It's no imposition, besides, you look exhausted". The house and fireplace **_**did **_**look inviting. "Okay, I'll stay".** **We walked into the main room and sat down infront of the fire. The wool carpet felt fantastic on my aching hooves. I didn't realise how tired I was until I started to drift off right there and then. No. I've just met this pony, I need to make a good impression. I looked over to Snow Sweet to find her laid down and staring into the fire. "You okay?". She up at me "Yeah, I've just never had...". She stopped talking and looked away. "A special somepony?". She nodded slowly, "Yeah... that". I placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Well me neither! I'm glad I met you before somepony else did. Why I think of myself as the luckiest colt in Equestria when I'm with you!" I proclaimed excitedly. "Really?" she asked, looking into my eyes. "Yes, really". She sighed happily and rested her head on my shoulder. For the first time in a while I felt complete. I finally had a special somepony.**

**My eyes slowly opened to the glare of the morning sun that was now on the horizon. Where was I? I looked around quickly, but settled when I remembered I was in Snow Sweet's living room. I looked across my right shoulder and found Snow Sweet still sound asleep, breathing lightly with her midsection slowly rising and falling with each breath. I sighed, content, and rested my head on hers. I was about to fall back asleep when a light buzzing came from my satchel. I searched through it and pulled out my mobile phone; I had received a text from Mana Springs. It read "Where are you? We're waiting at Sugarcube Corner, bro. Get over here!". I had completely forgotten about that. But Snow was sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to wake her. I could always go to the night event. But then again, Mana Springs and Parasol were waiting for me. I didn't know what to do. "You okay?" Snow Sweet asked sweetly. I must've woken her up with all the moving. "Yeah. Sorry I woke you" I replied apologetically. "It's okay" she said, nuzzling my shoulder playfully, "I don't mind, besides, we need to get down to Sugarcube Corner don't we?".**

**Sugarcube Corner was packed with various couples, each with their own special somepony. Mana Springs was over by the food table, talking about something. It must've been hilarious because Candy was in hysterics and Mana was trying to continue the anecdote but had trouble stifling his laughter. Parasol was sat with a white coated Pegasus with blue hair and blue eyes, talking gently and resting her head on his shoulders, with her eyes half-lidded with contentment. Snow Sweet tugged my hoof a little to lead me over to Mana and Candy. Snow Sweet nudged Candy on the shoulder, who turned around and squealed in excitement and began talking at a rapid pace... and Snow Sweet actually understood and replied at the same speed. Mana and I looked at each other quizzically as we were both equally confused by the display of conversation, but were happy to see each other regardless. "Good to see you, Mana!". "You too!" he had to yell due to the noise of the music and surrounding conversations. Mana Springs pulled me aside from the oblivious mares, "So, how'd it go?" he asked eagerly. "It was a good night" I replied nonchalant. "A good night? Is that it? Come on! Tell me!". I placed a pondering hoof on my chin, "Well, we went to Sugarcube Corner, I got interrogated by Pinkie Pie, we ate, got scared senseless then we went to her house-"** **"Woah!" Mana Springs interjected. "Really? Already? *I must've oversold him*". "Hey!" I retorted, "Don't you think I could've just been attractive by being myself?".** **"Well-"** **"Just leave us alone!" called a familiar voice. Mana and I looked at each other confused for a moment then went back over to Candy and Snow Sweet.**

**We made our way over to Candy and Snow Sweet, only this time three brutish ponies stood nearby. The one talking to the mares had a large-build, had crudely crew cut hair and was a pegasus. He was the one Snow Sweet and Candy were arguing with. "What's going on?" I asked sternly. Mana Springs stood between Candy and the large pegasus and had his back arched into a defensive position. "That creep won't leave us alone" said Snow Sweet in an aggressive tone. I turned to look directly at him, "We gonna have a problem?" I glared directly at the brutish pegasus. "Look, pal. Don't try it. I'll have you on the floor in under three seconds. You really wanna try it on with me for her?" the pegasus said, pointing his abnormally large hoof at Snow Sweet. This pony was getting on my nerves. "She has a name. Step off, or else" I growled. Mana Springs took a step closer towards the pegasus. "You know what? I don't have time for this, she ain't worth the trouble, pal" the pegasus waved his hoof dismissively. He whistled sharply and his two other accomplices left Sugarcube Corner alongside him. Mana Springs raised himself back up and grunted angrily. "Punk" he said bluntly. Candy walked to his side and pressed herself against him affectionately, "Come on, Mana. I'd rather be home with you". Mana smiled warmly and began to leave Sugarcube Corner with Candy at his side. He waved back silently at me before he left. "You okay, Snow?". No response. I turned around to find Snow Sweet missing. Where'd she go? She probably went to sit with Parasol. I looked around Sugarcube Corner, Parasol and her coltfriend were gone too. I should go see if she went home.**

**I darted to Snow Sweet's house. Why did she leave? What did that punk mean when he said "she ain't worth the trouble"? I hope Snow wasn't upset. I arrived at her house and knocked on the door. "Snow Sweet! You alright?" I called. The door opened slightly."Hey" she said weakly. "What's wrong? How come you left, well, besides the creeps. Me and Mana Springs took care of it". She shook her head, "It's not that. S'just. Nothing. I'm okay". Snow Sweet began closing the door. I placed my hoof gently between the door. "Let's talk".** **I slowly opened the door, Snow Sweet didn't resist. "Can I come in?" I said half-jokingly. She nodded her head lightly. We walked into the living room and sat down on the wool carpet. "Tell me whats wrong, Snow. I want to help". She looked away from me and whispered, "Ok".**

**"I've told you, I don't have any money!, my company has took a hit due to the winter weather."** **"I don't care about **_**you're **_**problems, Snow, it's Friday and I don't want to be stuck in this hovel when I should be out with Tempest and Gale. I've had enough of this!"** **"Enough of what? You're the reason I'm broke with your reckless spending and "essential purchases", Jock, which I know is just money to spend on Gale. I'm tired of being treated this way, just** _**GET OUT!"**_ **"Tell you what, I will, Gale isn't always broke and she knows how to have a good time, unlike you, Snow. I'm glad we're breaking up, I've been spending nights with Gale anyway! You know that overtime you thought we could go out with, it was for Gale. Hah! I'm glad I didn't spend it on you, what a waste-"** **"Get out before I call the Centurions..."** **"Whatever... see ya, Snow... I'm gonna have much more fun with Gale"**

**I sat and listened intently. As it turns out, that pegasus I squared up to was Snow Sweet's ex-coltfriend, Jock, who basically treated her like a money-bank, taking more and more of her hard-earned bits to spend on his co-worker/affair Gale, and when the company she worked for hit a snag, Jock pushed her too far and Snow kicked him out. Snow sat silently, staring into nothing, her eyes reddening with tears. I moved closer to her and placed a hoof over her shoulder and nuzzled the side of her face, "It'll be okay, Snow. I want to be with you, for you, not your money. And that Jock will have a hard time making contact with you with me around", I said reassuringly. Snow Sweet looked up at me, her teal eyes sparkling in the light. She smiled and laid her head onto my shoulders, closing her eyes. I laid my head ontop of hers and sighed, content.**


	2. Episode 2: The Trouble With Crusaders

**It was a warm, sunny day in Ponyville. I had only just woken up but felt completely refreshed and wide awake, with Snow Sweet by my side sleeping quietly. It truly was the perfect morning.** **"Look out, Scootaloo!" a young filly cried, moments before a thundering crash rang out at the front of the house. I got out of bed and walked downstairs, what in Equestria had happened? I opened the door to see two fillies, one yellow earth pony and one white unicorn, standing over an injured orange pegasus. "Are you all okay?" I asked. The yellow one twisted around suddenly and looked at me. "Oh! Ahm sorry if we woke y'all, my friends and ah were trying stunt jumping an' one of us got hurt". Stunt jumping? Seriously? "Why on earth would you be **_**stunt **_**jumping? You're still young fillies, you could, you did, get seriously hurt!". The yellow one scrunched her face into a scowl, "Hey, ahm a big pony! We were stunt jumping to earn our stuntmare cutie marks". The three fillies gasped and turned to look at their newly-obtained cutie marks, but found none, and looked down in disappointment. "Anyway, are you okay?-"** **"Scootaloo!" announced the yellow earth pony, "and this'un's Sweetie Belle and ahm Apple Bloom, together we're-", the two unharmed ponies yelled in unison, "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!". Ow, my ears! "Ooohh, what's all the yelling about?" called a drowsy Snow Sweet from the upstairs balcony. "It's nothing, Snow, I'll be up in a minute" . She looked around the Cutie Mark Crusaders and her eyes widened when she saw Scootaloo in a crumpled heap. "Crimson, bring her in here!"**

**"So what's your name, young filly?" Snow Sweet asked Scootaloo. "My name is Scootaloo". Snow Sweet placed a few drops of disinfectant onto a cotton ball. "And how did you hurt yourself?" Snow asked without looking away from the graze on Scootaloo's knee. "Well... Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle an' me were trying out stunt jumping to try and earn our cutie marks-aaooww!", Scootaloo winced painfully when Snow Sweet placed the disinfecting cotton ball on the graze. "Sorry, Scootaloo, can't risk an infection, can we?". Snow looked at the upset pegasus and hugged her tightly like a mother would her child. "It hurts now, kiddo, but it'll feel better in no time, okay? she soothed. Scootaloo looked up at her and nodded weakly. "Will some ice-cream make you feel better?". Scootaloo looked directly at her and nodded her head vigorously. "How about you two?" I asked, "want some of Snow Sweet's specially made ice-cream?". The other two crusaders looked up and accepted the offer with a smile and a nod. "There's a ball in the garden girls while you wait". The three ran into the garden laughing and talking.** **"You're really good with kids, Snow!" I complimented. "Me? Meh, it's nothing. It's really not that hard, I'd be pretty happy if someone cleaned my cuts and gave me specially made, **_**expensive, **_**ice-cream", Snow giggled. She carefully scooped out two spoonfuls into three seperate bowls and balanced them across her arms. "Don't I get any?" I joked. "Well, if you behave well, maybe later".** **The three fillies cheered and ran over to Snow Sweet to claim their frozen treats. Snow really was good with kids, I hope she'll be this good with **_**our **_**kids. (I blushed vividly at the last thought). The Crusaders sat down and ate their ice-cream quickly, then convulsed roughly, likely brain-freeze. Snow was noticably laughing at the children, who, (after temporary incapacitation), began to laugh to. I had work to attend to, (on a **_**Sunday!)**_**, at Carousel Boutique. So I went to say goodbye to Snow Sweet and her three new friends. I pushed the door open in the middle of the conversation about a 'theme song'. "I have to go now, Snow. I'll be back in a few hours, have fun with the Cutie Mark Crusaders". Snow Sweet turned stood up and turned to face me. She walked over and pulled me into a hug. She broke the hug and kissed me on the muzzle. "Bye, Crimson, have fun" she waved and went back to sit with the Crusaders, all of whom were now giggling and covering their faces as if they saw something they shouldn't. I tried to frown disapprovingly but I found their stifled laughter funny myself and I chuckled lightly.**

**I knocked on the lavishly decorated door leading to the interior of the Boutique. "On my way, hold on a moment, dear" called a refined, upper-class voice. Light knocks came from inside, gradually getting louder until the door swung open. "Ah, you must be the stallion I hired for my laborous tasks, do come in, darling". I walked inside, to find the interior just as gorgeous as the outside. "So where do you want my assistance, missus-"** **"Rarity, darling. You can refer to me as Miss, or Rarity or Miss Rarity" she stated, rather frustrated. "Okay" I shrugged, "Where do you want my help... Miss Rarity". She looked upstairs and began to walk upwards, "Up here, darling. I need assistance-"**

**"Putting up banners? Miss Rarity I do laborous work, why such an easy task?" I questioned. "I am not going up on the roof, Mr. Dream, I am a lady, and to do such a rough task is ruffian-like in nature... no offense, darling" she quipped. "Fine, fine. Hand me the banners and I'll get to it".** **I balanced carefully on the balcony ledge to reach the the far left side of the building. It'd be a quick job, might as well make it quicker. "So, do you know the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" I asked, I wanted to know if they had any notoriety. "Oh, so you've met them too? Yes, darling, I am quite familiar with the *ahem* Cutie Mark Crusaders. In fact, my little sister is a founding member".** **"Sweetie Belle?"** **"Yes, darling. Doesn't she have smashing hair? I styled it for her myself" she said proudly. "Yeah, it's cute". She gasped. "Ohoho. Quite the charmer, aren't you, Mr... Crimson Dream?" she said nervously. "Me? Oh no. I only have eyes for my special somepony, Snow Sweet", I stopped for a moment in brief thought, I hope her and the CMC were okay. "Anyway, this side should be done" I said, knocking the nail in with a quick hoof slam. Onto the other side. I got off the ledge and walked to the other side and stood on the ledge, careful not to slip. "Soooo... how did you two meet? Rarity asked casually. "Well, my friend Mana Springs has a marefriend who had a friend who was single, as was I, on Hearts and Hooves Day of all days. So we met up at Sugarcube Corner, talked for hours and went home to her place and told her what I thought about her". Rarity shifted uncomfortably. "Aha... well, then what, if you don't mind a mare prying". Might as well tell her. "I told her I feel complete when I'm around her, how I feel like the luckiest stallion in Equestria to have her as my special somepony, which was genuine. If I could I would spend every living second with her if I could". Rarity sighed in a swooning fashion, "You certainly have a way with words, Crimson. Oh, may I call you Crimson as an informality?" she asked. "Sure, I'm done now anyway, so I'll be going". She stepped outside to inspect my work. She analysed the quality of my work and nodded happily. "Fine work, Crimson. Here is your well-deserved payment". I took the small pouch of bits and placed them in my satchel. "Thank you, Rarity" I smiled.** **I opened the door to Snow Sweet's house to find Snow and the CMC sat on the wool carpet talking and giggling. "Hey Snow" I called. "Crimson!" she replied happily. She walked over and placed a hoof over my shoulder, pressing her head against my neck. I returned the hug by place a hoof over her shoulder. The CMC watched on, giggling quietly. "Hey Crimson" Scootaloo swooned jokingly, pressing her hooves together and resting on them between her shoulder. Sweetie Belle frowned and jabbed Scootaloo sharply, "Don't joke like that, it's sweet" she sighed dreamily. Snow Sweet blushed lightly, "We were just discussing matters" she said brightly. "How nice, anway I'm gonna lie down for a bit. I wanna be wide awake for when me, Parasol and Mana Springs camp outside GamePony for the new Canterlot Arena 3". Snow Sweet nodded once, "Sure, do whatcha want. Just make sure you're not home too late". I laid down on the couch and shut my eyes.**

**"Shh! Shh! He'll wake up!" someone distant whispered, followed by quiet giggles and suppressed laughter. I looked up quickly. Luckily no-one was doing anything on or around me. The living room was slightly illuminated by the bright kitchen light. I sat up and looked around, it was dark out. Were those Cutie Mark Crusaders still here? I stood up fully and began to walk towards the kitchen, "Hey! What are you up to?" I called. Gasps of various pitch were emitted and the three fillies stood up and turned to face me. "Er, nothing. Crimson, er, uh, SIR!" Sweetie Belle saluted nervously, still smirking from her previous activities. "Uh, huh" I grunted flatly, "So what exactly does 'nothing' include for me not to wake up to see?". The fillies were definitely up to something as they shifted, looked away and had infrequent gasps of laughter. "Well, we were, um, talking... about... stuff. And, um...". Stuff? "What do you mean **_**stuff?**_**" I asked, suspicious. "Well, we, kinda thought about, babies, and, um, what your's and Snow's would look like" she finished flatly. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom laughed uproariously while Sweetie Belle flushed bright red and looked away, giggling. My face felt incredibly heated in realisation of what these three were talking about. "Y-y-young fillies l-like you shouldn't be talking about such a... grown-up process" I said, feeling incredibly uncomfortable talking about such a manner with three small fillies who hadn't even matured enough to get their cutie marks. The Cutie Mark Crusaders laughed rambunctiously while I stood still, mortified that these young fillies who I just met were already talking about Snow Sweet's and my offspring. "*ahem* Where is Snow Sweet?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject. Apple Bloom tried to stop laughing by condensing them into little huffs, "She, aha, went upstairs a few, hah, minutes ago!". "Thanks", I walked away, leaving them to their laughter.**

**I pushed the half-open door to Snow Sweet's bedroom open. She was half under the bed searching around for something. "Hey, Snow, what're you doing?". She replied "Oh, just looking for something, you seen the colouring pencils I bought for my drawing pad?".** **"No, but, would I be able to talk to you about something?". She pulled her upper half out from under the bed and looked at me strangely. "Well, sure, whats up, Crimson?" She asked in a concerned tone of voice. "Well, downstairs, the CMC said they were talking about, um, well, our kid. And earlier you told me you girls were 'discussing matters', is there a chance of there being a correlation?" I asked nervously. Her face turned a strong shade of red, but she didn't smile or smirk or do anything that would be deemed childish in this situation. I moved up closer next to her and placed an arm around her gently, and she place her head onto my shoulder. "What's up, Snow? Is something wrong?". She sighed lightly, "Well, don't you ever think of kids, or having a family? or m...ridge...". I was taken aback, I didn't think she was serious when talking to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Well of course I do, Snow. I'd love to have a little kid to call my... our own, as well as a family. In fact, now that I mention it, you haven't met my parents, and I haven't met yours, Snow. I just think we should settle down with each other first, we've been together about two months, and although I do love you unconditionally-"** **"What?" she asked suddenly. "What's wrong?", what did I say? "Say that last part again" she said quietly. "I love you unconditionally". Her teal eyes began to sparkle gently, like whenever she gets emotional or upset, but I don't think she'd be upset after I declared my love for her. "I..." she stopped to look directly into my eyes, "I love you too, Crimson". I leaned in to kiss her. Fireworks set off in my stomach as I proved to my (very) special somepony that she was the only mare I wanted in my life. My mind was numb, my heart was rapidly beating and my arms coiled around Snow Sweet, to keep her and never let her go. We both held on to each other tightly to keep ourselves together as a spark ignited into a blaze of passion and love. We stopped after only a minute but it felt like an eternity. "I love you, Snow Sweet".** **"I love you too, Crimson".**

**I was amazed and confused by what just happened. The kiss me and Snow Sweet shared was just mindblowing, it felt like we were now one, complete happy form. But I feel incredibly different, but in a good way, kind of. It felt like I was (literally) full of happiness and love, as if it was coursing through my body, it felt great but strange at the same time. Snow and I were laid down on the bed, still in each other's embrace. "Snow? Do you feel, you know, different?". She stopped and thought for a moment, "Hm, well, now that you mention it, I feel great, as if everything that was troublesome has been washed away". She sighed happily and rested her head on my shoulders. I used my left hoof to run small circles on her arm, making her giggle slightly. "You know those kids are still downstairs" I chuckled mildly. "They'll be okay for another ten minutes" she shrugged, "Besides, I'd rather be up here with you-" she looked up into my eyes and smiled "my love". I was about to lean in and kiss her again but she already held my face still with her left hoof and kissed back. The same, amazing feelling occured, the explosion of passion and love that was like nirvana. I wanted it to last longer this time so I removed one hoof and held the back of her head, and pulled her closer. Our eyes were shut and all that I could think of is how much I wanted this mare and how unfathomable my love was for her. We held each other together for a good few minutes before pulling away to stare deep into each other's eyes. "You still have plans with Mana Springs and Parasol" she said, with a hint of sadness. "It's okay, I suck at Canterlot Arena anyway" . Snow shook her head, "No, no. You need to keep your promises. Besides I'll be here when you get back". She smiled lightly on the last sentence. "Ok, Snow. I'll be back as soon as possible, just let me gain some composure" I smiled. "Good! I'm gonna go back to tend to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, make sure to come say goodbye, okay?", with that she walked off. I rolled over in bed and stared up at the ceiling. I've never felt anything that fulfilling, passionate or loving before, it was just so amazing, yet so strange, I had to find out about it. What was the time?, I glanced over to the wall clock: 7.32pm. I still had plenty of time. I'll head over to Twilight's Library. I got up, still in a euphoric state from a few moments ago, and headed downstairs.**

**I headed into the kitchen were Snow Sweet was talking quietly to the CMC. The three looked at me and waved. I waved back. I turned to Snow Sweet, "What are you talking about?". She turned to me and said, "Just about children and how they came to be, don't worry, it's the Filly-safe version". I laughed quietly and went over to sit with them. "So", Snow continued, "when a mare and a stallion decide they want to have a baby, they share a special hug, a kiss and a few months later, Princess Celestia will bring the child from the mother's body". The three children "Wow'd" simultaneously and began quietly chattering amongst themselves until they turned back to Snow Sweet. "So, mah momma has met with Princess Celestia?" Apple Bloom asked, awestruck. Snow giggled to herself, "Yes, sweetie. She's met everyone of us". The truth about how ponies pro-created was gonna hit these innocent fillies hard. "I'm gonna go now, Snow. I'll be back soon".** **"Okay, I love you, Crimson", she turned to smile at me. "I love you too, Snow". With that I gave her a kiss, fairly quick so I didn't enter nirvana and destroy the fillies' innocence, but long enough to express my love for Snow Sweet. Instead of laughing, the CMC all looked on and 'aww-ed'. "That's so sweet!" Sweetie Belle sighed dreamily. As I walked away, I noticed something different about Snow Sweet, she seemed to have a dim, white aura about her, almost illuminating her body. It definitely had to have been related to the state of nirvana, and I was gonna find out about it.**

**The night air wasn't that bad as I walked over to Twilight's library, I had other things on my mind. I just couldn't get Snow out of my head, she just made me feel so complete and happy and loved. Anyway, I had to find this out. I knocked on the Library door three times. Light padding come from inside and the door opened. "Hi, welcome to the Ponyville Library" said a small purple-scaled dragon. "Hi, is Twilight here?". He nodded, "Uh, yeah. She's got company though, some purple and green pony who wanted to ask her about some kind of spell, I dunno". The dragon lead me into the Library and took me to the upper tier, where I found Mana Spring attempting to cast something, but he was having great trouble with it. "Hi Mana, Twilight" I greeted. I must've distracted him because his horn blasted out a bolt of magic and sent him flying back. "You alright?" Twilight and I asked in unison. "Yeah, jus' a liddle bang'd up", he was highly disoriented. "Sorry, bro" I apologised, smiling nervously. "Ids awlride, ah'll be oak-aye" he mumbled before falling backwards. "He'll be fine, just drained. He was trying a portal spell which even took me awhile to learn. Anyway, what can I help you with?", she smiled kindly. "Do you... have a book on... passion?" I asked, my face burning. "Well, I, uh... what for? Actually, nevermind that, I don't wanna know. It's over by the "Special Somepony" section". I scanned the shelves, passed by a few unsavoury novels until I found "Love Genetics: Things You And Your Special Somepony Should Know". I opened it up and found a relatable article, dubbed Cloudhaze. It said how pegasai have been graced with the ability to soar through the heavens and are able to feel (sometimes overwhelming) feelings of extreme passion which they can pass on to they're special somepony when making affectionate contact. It was under the category "Affection Chemistry", I looked up the Earthbound pony variation and discovered it was called Earthen Catalyst, which uses the earth ponies natural-born endurance, hardiness and emotional capabilities to drastically improve the effect of Cloudhaze and Lunar Syphon, (a drastic surge of magic in unicorns due to their connections with the stars and moon, which can empower all magic cast for a long while. Sometimes, when Earthen Catalyst is combined with Cloudhaze or Lunar Syphon. It can create Heartsoar, an intense, (sometimes overwhelming), sensation of ultimate bliss (nirvana) which is only achievable if the two ponies love each other truly, which not only increase the potency of the Lunar Syphon/Cloudhaze, but create a bond which fuses the two souls together, making them almost inseperable.** **I was torn from my daydream when a pony behind me cleared their throat. "Sooo..." Mana Springs enunciated with a smirk "whatcha doing at the... Special Somepony section?" My face was on fire, "Erm, well, nothing, why?" I stammered. "Oh nothing, just wondering if you had found the *ahem* Heartsoar section". He knew!? "H-how did you know?" I asked stuttering. "Well, if I'm honest, Earth ponies are the best for relationships, not just because of their amazing Affection Chemistry capabilities but also because of their conviction and will, which is one of the reasons I fell for Candy. I first found out about Heartsoar a few weeks after we met. Still amazes me now. I take it you just found out about it... recently" he questioned with a humoured grin. "Well, yeah. Yeah. It was amazing Mana, really it was", I paused in warm recollection of the traspired events. "Don't worry about getting Canterlot Arena 3 tonight, you go back to relax with Snow. I'm sure that even though I'm the only pony near right now, the only one you can keep your mind on is Snow Sweet. Am I right?" He was. "...Maybe...". He laughed heartily and smacked me on the back, "Go on home, bro. I'm gonna be a while. Portals are hard".**

**I pushed Snow Sweet's house door open to find it incredibly quiet. "Snow?" I called. "I'm in the kitchen, Crimson, the Crusaders went home". I walked into the kitchen to find her sat down reading something. "What's that?" I asked. "It's a book about... something", she covered the page with her arm. I read the title: "Heartsoar: The Chronicles Of The Ponies Who Have Transcended Into Bliss". A tad over-the-top but true. "You wanna... head upstairs?" I asked casually. Her head shot up, her expressionless face slowly turned into a smile. "Definitely".**

**We were sat side by side on Snow Sweet's soft hay bed. I turned over to face her, so I could stare into her beautiful eyes. I ran a hoof down the side of her face, eliciting a sigh of contentment. I put my free arm behind her and pulled her closer towards me. I smiled nervously, "You wanna-"** **"More than anything". She pushed herself towards me and we wrapped our arms around each other. The kiss hammered home and the Heartsoar phase began. I pushed myself as close towards her as possible, wanting to be able to be as far in her embrace as she was in mine. Both of my arms were now holding her close to me, as were both of her's. It was ecstasy. Even with my eye's shut I could see a blinding white light that was pulsating rapidly and beginning to waver with multiple colours. I felt a pressure building up at the back of my head. Suddenly, Snow Sweet broke free of the kiss. "Crimson, I know we aren't married, and we have only been together about two months...but-"** **"Yes" I replied, knowing what the question was. "Are you sure?" she asked, nervous but noticably excited. "I'd want nothing more than to show you how much I love and want you", I assured her lovingly. She sighed happily and smiled, but the smile suddenly turned into a much more seductive gesture.**

**She got up from the side-laying position and rolled over to kneel above me, I couldn't help but feel a surge of energy when I saw her in a different light: loving, maternal mare to seductive, thrilling marestress. She leaned towards to me slowly, while twisting her hips side to side at the same speed, using both hooves to hold my face still. I looked directly into her half-lidded eyes and noticed a change, her kind teal eyes took on a more deep, lustful dark green appearance. "Tell me, Crimson" she whispered in a tone drenched in desire, "What is it that makes you want me the most?". I was at a loss for words. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. A fire had ignited in my heart and my passions took control, "Everything" I replied deeply, "I love everything about you, I want you more than anything because you are you, and you are amazing". She smiled the same lustful smile. "Oh, really?" she asked in a breathy tone, "Prove it". I quickly bolted my arm's behind her and pulled her towards me. I kissed her in the passionate haze that was Heartsoar and she kissed me back. She threw her arms around my neck for a better grip and pulled herself upwards slightly, to put us at eye level. I moved my right arm downwards from her upper back to her lower back, and traced the tip of my hoof up along her back, making her sigh and shiver. She broke the kisss, still knelt above me, "That... ooohhh... feels good, C-Crimson". I smiled, didn't take long to break the seductive side and bring out her erotic side. Time to take control. I rolled over and went on knees, careful not to crush Snow. "D-dont st-stop, Crimsooonnn" she exhaled. I lowered myself down, using my frontal arms for support, and kissed the side of her muzzle, travelling to the side of her face, and began to move downwards from her neck. I was halfway down her neck when I bit down softly, eliciting another moan from Snow Sweet. I moved downwards, planting gentle kisses all the way, until I reached her stomach. She placed her hooves on the back of my head, "S-stop, I-*oh*, I'm ready now". Wow, she was more excited about this then I was. "Ok, Snow". I worked my way back up and placed my hooves on either side of her. She looked up at me, her big, green eyes twinkling in the candlelight, "P-p-please, don't keep me waiting". "Okay, just let me know if I'm hurting you, okay?" . I **_**really **_**didn't want to hurt her, it was my first time and I wanted it to go smoothly. "Okay, I'll be okay, just hurry... please?". Didn't want to keep her waiting. I pushed inwards slowly, familiarising myself with her limits. She gasped sharply, but then shut her eyes and moaned loudly. I pulled out, then back inwards, careful not to push too hard. No pain, just another pleasured gasp. "Um, a little harder, please?" she asked sweetly. "Okay, Snow". I pushed in a little deeper with slightly more force, I was almost completely inside when Snow Sweet gasped sharply. "A-are you okay?" I asked, concerned. "No, nonononono. Do that again, please" she replied quickly. So I did, she gasped again. "Ooohh, sweet Celestia" she moaned blissfully. I must be doing it right. I pushed back in, beginning a rhythmic sequence, not too fast, not too slow. Each push sending electric pulses throughout my body. I tried keeping it in but I couldn't. "Ooohh, Snow...". She moaned passionately, "K-keep going, Crimson, please, I-I'm close". I moved faster, feeling a pressure build up. "Snow... I-I'm". My mind was blank. The pressure got larger and larger. "C-Crimson, g-go f-faster!" Snow Sweet called out, coiling her arms around me. I braced myself on the headboard. I moved quicker, Snow was panting rapidly, I couldn't hold it in much longer. The pressure exploded. "Snow, I'm- ooohh..."** **"Crimson, I can't- aaauuuoohh!"**

**The room was filled with heavy breathing and sighing. My upper body was giving out so I lowered myself ontop of Snow Sweet slowly and careful not to crush her. I moved my arms behind her and embraced her firmly, she did the same. "Are you alright?" I asked between gasps. "I feel better then I ever have, Crimson. That was... amazing" she replied softly. "I'm sorry I didn't last long, i-it was my first time".** **"Mine too". I looked at her. "Really?" I asked quizzically. She looked back. "Yeah, and that was the best first time ever", she laughed gently. "I love you, Snow Sweet". I pulled her into a kiss, the previous Heartsoar sensation didn't occur, but instead a warm and loving feel coursed through me instead. Gaining some energy back, I lifted my left hoof up and gently stroked her (now messy) hair. It was slightly damp with sweat. She sighed sweetly, closing her eyes. "Crimson?"** **"Yeah?"** **"I love you too".**


	3. Episode 3: The Morning After

**Birds tweeted softly in the distance while cart wheels rumbled quietly nearby. Monday meant traders and stalls were to be abundant in The Marketplace. Small strips of light were scattered around the windows as the sun cast in the midday light. I woke up feeling slightly weaker than usual. Memories of last night came flooding back. The revelation, the Heartsoar, the Cutie Mark Crusaders... the lovemaking. I looked across to find Snow Sweet sleeping on my right arm. She looked so sweet. I looked over to the Snow's alarm clock: 1.41pm. Man, that must've really worn us out. I had no work today anyway, and Snow Sweet had the week off to wait for more cumulus nimbus clouds to gather around the mountaintop. Plus, Mana Springs and Parasol will be pre-occupied with Canterlot Arena 3 today. Which now that I think of it I had forgotten to go meet them for, but it was worth it. I was still tired so I might as well go back to sleep. I placed my free arm over Snow Sweet and pulled her into a hug. She shifted slightly and held on to both of my arms, still fast alseep.**

**"So what do you think he got up to, Mana?" Parasol asked, even though her full attention was on the video game. "I dunno. He was looking up Affection Chemistry last night at the library and that was the last I saw of him" I shrugged. I wonder what he got up to? It's been over twelve hours and not a single text, call or anything. "Parasol wins!" called the announcer in Canterlot Arena. "What!?". Parasol laughed loudly, "Hahahahahah!". I really shouldn't be thinking about it, it's his personal life and his marefriend, and I was getting beaten by Parasol on Canterlot Arena! The one game I've actually played so much the disc wore down to ashes! "Rematch!" I declared, she's not gonna beat me this time. "3, 2, 1 FIGHT!"**

**I tried going back to sleep, but I couldn't. My mind was still processing last night's events. Everything about it was so... magical, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. Snow Sweet shuffled slightly, then yawned flatly. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up. "Hey, Crimson" she said softly, "How long you been up?".** **"Not too long, beautiful day isn't it?". I raised my left hoof and began circling around her arm gently. She sighed contendedly. "I'm so tired, I don't think I've ever felt this tired at... 1.34pm in the afternoon" she said, slightly shocked from realising how late it was. "It's no problem, Snow" I nuzzled the side of her face affectionately, "I have the day off, I can stay here with you all day".**

**"Parasol wins!". What the buck!? "How?" I growled, aggravated. Parasol was in stitches, laughing hysterically at the enraged look on my face. "Whatsa matter, Mana? Don't like to lose?" she mocked playfully. "Rematch!" I announced. "Again? You never learn".**

**"Sleep well?" I asked softly. Snow giggled lightly, "Yeah, I did". She turned her head around and kissed me softly on the muzzle. I smiled gently. I squeezed her softly in an affectionate manner and kissed her on the cheek. "I'd ask if you want to do it again, but I'm still spent from last night". I sighed lightly, "Me too, besides, I'm happy just being here with you. Although it **_**is**_ **amazing I think the lovemaking is less important than being together like this". Snow Sweet rolled over to face me and looked me directly in the eyes, they had reverted back to their normal teal colour. "If we do have a child, or children, what do you think we should name it?". My heart skipped a beat, "Wait are you-"** **"No, no. We have to be in the Heartsoar phase as well as the, um, you know..." she blushed. "Well, okay. If it was a filly I was gonna say Amber Sweet, but if it's a colt I would say Frost Dream. Snow Sweet nodded agreeably, "those names aren't half bad". I smiled, "You look so beautiful in the light". Snow Sweet pressed her head against my chest lovingly and shut her eyes. I began stroking her hair softly, it was still slightly matted from the night before.**

**"Mana Springs wins!" yelled the virtual announcer. "Yeah! Take that!" I shouted victoriously. I looked over to Parasol who was sat silently, staring at the T.V. screen. "Got you back! Ahahaha!". She turned to me and smiled deviously, "S'about time you actually beat me". "Anyway, I'm bored, let's go do something". Sore loser. "Like what?" I queried. "Well, we could go visit Crimson Dream, or go visit the Marketplace. I dunno, something other than sitting at home" Parasol replied, throwing her hooves up in the air in an exaggerated fashion. "Okay, then. Let's go pay Crimson a visit".**

**"So, what do you wanna do today?" I asked Snow Sweet. "We have to do something today?". I laughed, "Hehe, not if you don't want to, Snow. I just thought you might wanna do something later when we're not so exhausted". Snow thought for a moment. "We could go down to the Marketplace, I **_**would**_ **like some more herbal tea and ice cream." she replied. "Well okay then, we'll go to the Market. Well, after we're ready and have eaten, what've we got?".**

**Parasol stepped outside the door, "Wait! Oh darn. My coltfriend and I were meant to be meeting at Sugarcube Corner in ten minutes!, Um, sorry, Mana. I must've been beating you so badly I must've forgotten", she laughed tauntingly, before shooting off into the sky. "Well how rude of some people" I laughed to myself quietly. "Hey, uh, Mana? Can you come up here for a sec?" Candy called. I turned to face the stairs.**

**Snow Sweet had someone managed to fall back asleep, and was now resting peacefully in my arms. I exhaled softly, happy to be in the current situation. My breath must've tickled Snow's ear as it flickered erratically and returned to it's normal position. I giggled quietly at how cute it looked.**

**I walked up the stairs quickly and reached Candy's door. It was already partly open, so I just pushed it gently. I entered Candy's room and found her lying on her front in the middle of the bed, resting her head on her crossed hooves. "Hey, Mana" she whispered softly, her eyes half lidded. An overwhelming scent hit me, it was musky and intoxicating, and it made me feel invigorated, energetic and full of a desire for Candy. She swished her curled tail from left to right like a pendulum, almost as if in invitation. "Wh-what do you need me f-for, Candy?" I asked, barely able to keep my animalistic instincts suppresed. "Ooh, nothing. I just wanted to see you. You know, I have the day off today and I just didn't want to spend my **_**hard**_**-earned time... alone... un-" she stopped for a brief moment, "**_**satisfied"**_**. I knew, (quite well), what had brought this on. It was her period of estrus she underwent every month, were she had an insatiable... **_**appetite **_**for things of an adulterous nature. "You okay, Mana? You look a little tense, why don't you come sit down and we can... **_**talk" **_**she invited with a suggestive smile. Like a moth to flame I walked over and laid down next to Candy. Once I had laid down she crawled over to me slowly and in an erotic manner and rested a hoof on my chest. "Soo..." she enunciated, "what's on your mind, Mana?". I had to keep myself contained, Celestia knows what would come of it if I didn't. "N-nothing, I'm... fine". She moved her hoof and placed it on the opposite side of me, then she kneeled upwards and positioned herself to sit on my abdomen. "Are you sure, you don't seem yourself... anything I could do to help you unwind?" she asked in a seductive manner. My rational thinking was clouded with a pheromone-induced fog, I had to do something that could at least vent some of it. I raised my left hoof and placed it on Candy's right flank, ontop of her swirly lollipop cutie mark, and pressed down slightly. She shuddered in ecstasy. She placed both of her hooves on my shoulders and brought herself to eye level with me. "You think you can win **_**that**_ **easily?" she questioned with a seductive smile, "it's gonna take a lot more than that". I pushed my self forward to kiss Candy. I made contact and coiled my arms around Candy. She raised her arms behind my neck and pulled herself forward. She tasted like peppermint. My inhibitions were destroyed and the pheromones took control. We held each other for a minute or so when Candy broke the kiss, a thin trail of saliva still attached. "Don't think you're in control here, Mana" she forboded assertively. She pushed both my arms down and held them there. She sat up fully before locking her legs around my waist firmly. "There's a whole lot more to come yet". With that she pushed herself downward and moaned loudly, throwing her head back. "Oooooohhhh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this". She brought herself back up and pushed back downwards, fluttering her eyes while sighing sensually. She continued this pattern, exhaling on each downward push. All I could do is watch and be taken along for the ride, not that I was complaining. She was amazing and warm. I was hoping I could last long enough against this kind of intensity. "Ooh, *huff* Mana, I *huff* don't know *huff* how long... I can... laaaast" she moaned in a lustful tone. "I think... *ooh* I'm gonna... c-ooohhhh..." she finished. She was sat down, looking down and panting, her eyes obscured by her now messy and roughed up hair. "You call that 'in-control'?" I asked sternly. I leapt forward, overpowered her and now was laid ontop. "I'll show you 'in-control'". She nodded vigorously, "Okay, Mana, but please hurry". I pushed forward with moderate force, Candy moaned loudly, "Keep going, for the love of Celestia, **_**please**_ **keep going". I carried on. I was getting closer and closer to my peak. Candy was panting, exhausted but exhilirated at the same time. "Almost...*ahh* done!" Candy exclaimed. I reached my peak. I pushed inwards as far as I could, "Aagh! Candy!" I called out.** **"M-Manaaa!"**

**"So what do you think you're friends did without you, Crimson?" Snow Sweet asked. "Heh, probably got the game and spent all night in a hypercompetitive trance" I joked, "Why'd you ask?". Snow just shrugged, "I dunno, just wanted to make sure you weren't upset or anything since you were here instead of there last night". I laughed mildly, "Don't worry about it, Snow. I had a better time here then I would've playing a video game". I got up out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "Where you going?" Snow Sweet asked. "Just for a quick shower is all, I'm a little gross at the moment".**

**I collapsed next to Candy, exhausted. "Th-*huff*-that was... fun. Ahehe..." Candy said between heavy inhalations, "I must've really riled you up". She looked across to me, smiling in jest. I couldn't reply, my mind was still in a haze. "You okay, Mana? I didn't break you did I?". I shook my head weakly, "Ah'm faahn, jus' tir'd". She rolled over, putting us face to face. "Was it good for you?".**

**The warm water cascaded from the showerhead and blasted the sweat, dirt and other awkward substances off my body. I let out a sigh of relief as I began to feel clean again. I reached for the cotton candy scented gel and squeezed a few drops onto my out-stretched hoof, running it through my coat and mane, before ruffling it for extra purchase. I stood directly under the showerhead and let the water rinse off the soap and dirt. Happy with the results, I stepped out of the shower cubicle and shook ferociously. "You almost done in there?" Snow called through. "Yeah, Snow". She pushed open the bathroom door and entered the cubicle. "Okay, Snow, just let me leave before you start".** **"You don't have to if you don't want to" she replied. I blushed slightly, which made Snow giggle. She stretched her hoof out, inviting me in. I took hold of it, to which Snow then pulled me into the shower with her. She turned the shower on, it was slightly colder than last time. We stood side by side. "Um, Crimson, my arms are still a bit tired, I don't suppose you could..." she handed me the shower gel as the hint. "Sure thing, Snow". I placed a long, thin line across her back, which made her jump a little from the coldness. I began to gently massage the soap into her coat, making sure I got every spot covered. I reached her lower back and began to run it through her tail softly. She moaned quietly. I blushed rather vividly this time, but also found it quite of an added bonus. I turned my attention to right flank, where her snowflake cutie mark was. I slowly massaged the gel onto the centre of the snowflake, running my hoof in a small circle outlining the perimeter. "Mmmm, C-Crimsoonnn...". I looked up to find Snow Sweet with her eyes closed and her head laid backwards slightly. I stopped my current activity and moved to the front of Snow Sweet. I wrapped my arms gently around Snow Sweet at the shoulders and began to nuzzle her neck softly. She giggled lightly and let out a broken sigh. I kissed her neck gently at first but then added slightly more pressure with each one. Snow began to moan quietly to herself as I made my way up from her neck. I raised a hoof up and turned her face, so I could stare deep into her teal eyes. Her eyes were sparkling brightly. "I love you, Snow". She smiled warmly, "I love you too". I pulled her in for a kiss. She raised her hoof and held onto my shoulder. I broke the kiss after a few seconds and hugged her tightly.**

**I awoke from my sleep with a start. I looked around and saw Candy sleeping beside me. My head was throbbing, but I felt no pain. "What time is it?" I muttered to myself: 2.52pm. Mondays always go so slow. I just remembered there still has been no sight of Crimson Dream, or Snow Sweet for that matter, which now that I think of it is probably to do with what just happened. I shook my head to erase that thought. I had a strange taste hanging around in my mouth, which made me feel unbelievably uncomfortable, kind of like a sticky, warm horrid feel with the consistency of expired honey. I had to wash it out. I looked over to Candy, still fast asleep. I pulled myself out of bed and headed downstairs, careful not to wake Candy. I made it to the kitchen and pulled the refridgerator door open, releasing a welcoming, yellow glow from the light. Milk, Cherryade, Wheat Juice, Tonic Water, nearly every possible drink product. I'll just stick with what I like. I pulled out the half-full bottle of Cherryade, which fizzed and foamed violently as it shook. I took a small glass out of the cupboard and placed it down next to the bottle. Carefully, I removed the cap and poured a generous amount of Cherryade into the glass. Small bubbles rose from the reddish-pink fluid and popped. I lifted the glass swiftly and drank most of it in one quick mouthful, only stopping when the bubbles caused a burning sensation in my throat, which caused me to splutter mildly, but if felt good to have rid of the horrible taste. I finished the rest of my drink and headed back for the stairs, but stopped halfway. Candy was sound asleep and I had some down time before I visited Crimson, I could play a round or two of Super Equestria Land. I sauntered over to the Super Pony Entertainment System and placed the cartridge into the port and pushed the 'on' button, making the machine hum quietly. I looked for the controller that was also one of my prized possessions: a golden (painted) S.P.E.S controller with a limited edition logo emblazoned on the back that stated "Winner Of The S.P.E.S Tournament In Canterlot 2011". I found it buried with my (almost vestigial) secondary controller which I kept in case my Tournament Trophy broke, which it never did. The T.V. flickered to life displaying the menu which asked which profile I wanted to open. I hovered over "MNSP" and pressed START.**

**Now fully clean, Snow and I headed downstairs for breakfast/lunch/early dinner. "I know it's weird but I kind of want ice cream" Snow Sweet considered for a moment. "Go with what you feel is gonna fill you, cos that Marketplace isn't a picnic, almost as much bustling as the streets of Manehattan" I replied. "You know what, I'm having ice cream" Snow Sweet giggled while bounding towards the freezer, "You want some, Crimson?" she called through. "Sure, why not?". She shoved the freezer door shut and ran back to the seating area, holding an almost full tub of ice cream. She dropped it down on the table and began scooping out individual portions at a fast pace. "What's got you so excited, Snow?" I asked, slightly confused, I've seen Snow happy and excited before, just not this much. "Nothing! Why? What's up?" she replied. "Nothing, nothing" I dismissed, "What're we having?". Snow pointed to the removed lid and announced "Rainboom Ripple!". True, the ice-cream did have a rainbow appearance and did look very appetising. "Here you go!" Snow pushed a small, white bowl in my direction containing two expertly curved ice cream swirls, each striped with a different colour from the rainbow. I took a spoon and cut a small piece off, while Snow Sweet devoured it ravenously, suddenly gaining an appetite. I took a bite and it tasted fantastic, a mixture of different fruits such as lemon, apple, blueberry and the rest. I didn't realise how hungry I was until it hit my stomach. It didn't take too long before I polished off the rest. Snow had already finished. "Look!" she exclaimed, "my tongue is rainbow-coloured!", she stuck her tongue out far and pointed to it. It was multi-coloured. "Is yours?" she asked, putting her tongue back in her mouth. "I don't know..." I replied, not overly-keen on showing people my tongue. "Here, I'll check" she said before lunging across the counter and pulling me into a kiss. I was both shocked and amazed at how excited (not to mention passionate) she was behaving, but I didn't care too much about that. My pulse rate escalated quickly and my arms reflexively held on to Snow Sweet's waist. She ran her tongue around in the inside of my mouth roughly, overloading my senses in a lust-filled fog. After a moment or so she pulled away, still hanging onto my shoulders. "Hmm, yeah, you do". She rested her head on my chest and exhaled strongly. "Today's been great, don'tcha think, Crimson?" she asked kindly. "Uh, yeah, for how much we've actually seen of it". I placed my head ontop of her's and rested it there. I stroked the lower parts of her hair that bounced back up once I released pressure from them. "You wanna head off for the Market soon, Crimson?" Snow suggested sweetly. "Maybe in ten minutes or so" I replied softly, wanting to spend a little while longer with her in my arms.**

**The virtual flag flew up the pole rapidly as the speakers blared out an 8-bit tune declaring my victory. What time was it? I glanced upwards to the wall clock: 3.24pm. If I set off now I could be there to see Crimson and Snow at 3.30pm, but Candy was still fast asleep. "There you are" Candy said, appearing out of nowhere. "Hey, Candy" I smiled, "You sleep well?". She giggled lightly, "Yeah, I did". She walked over and sat next to me. "You still wanna go meet Snow and Crimson soon?" she asked. The scent of pheromones was in the air again, but less than last time. "Uh... yeah, yeah" I replied, trying to take my mind off of it. "What's up?" Candy questioned, a sense of hurt in her voice. My heart sank. "Nothing, Candy, my mind's a little pre-occupied is all" I replied, throwing my arms around her. She did the same. "Okay, just wondering". My self-control started slipping again. I pulled back slightly, gazing deep into Candy's eyes, a vivid purple with hints of red. She stared back, her eye's twinkling slightly, "Something... on your mind, Mana?" she asked softly. I pulled Candy a bit closer, only millimetres away from each other. Candy's breath was warm and had a faint sweet scent. "M-a-n-a...". I couldn't wait any longer, I pushed the slight bit further and kissed Candy, she tasted as sweet her scent. I pulled her into me as far as I could, lengthening the moment of bliss. I felt something burning internally, before a sudden rush of power coursed through me, emitting a bright flash of light from my horn. We parted suddenly, still firmly in each other's embrace. "What was that?" Candy asked, concerned. "I dunno, but I feel pretty good!" I replied, suddenly full of energy. Candy sighed in relief, "That was interesting, you wanna go see Crimson and Snow, now?".**

**I slung my satchel over my shoulder, where it hung from the left. "Ready yet, Snow?" I called from the hallway to the kitchen. "In a minute!" she replied. I sat down and pulled out my phone. No new messages or missed calls. Huh. I opened up my mailbox, no new emails. How long can you play a video game, Mana?**

**I pressed the "off" button on my S.P.E.S. It hummed loudly for a moment, then ceased. Candy was waiting at the door, waiting to leave. "Come on, Mana!" she called impatiently. "Don't worry, Candy, they're not going anywhere. Well, actually, I better call just in case". I pulled out my phone and typed in Crimson's number.**

**My phone flashed brightly and began vibrating powerfully, Mana Springs picture came up as the caller ID. I swiped my hoof across the 'answer' tab and held it to my ear. "Hey, Mana! What's up? Canterlot Arena any good?" I asked, happy to hear from him. "Hey, bro! It's not bad, I guess. You two going anywhere?" he replied. "Yeah, we were about to go to The Marketplace. Why, you wanna come over?" I asked. "We were but if you're going to the Market then we'll come over later" he responded, a little crestfallen. "It's no problem, come over, I'll head to the Market quickly to pick up some stuff, Snow's here so she'll keep you and Candy occupied while I'm out. Us four could watch a movie!" I suggested, quite excited to spend time with four of my closest friends. "Sure, that sounds like fun!" Mana replied in an upbeat tone, "We'll come over now". We said our goodbyes for now and hung up. "Hey, Snow, Mana and Candy are coming over. I don't suppose you could stay here with them while I get our stuff from The Market?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't react negatively. "Sure! If I'm honest I'm still a little tired, you go and I'll keep 'em company" she replied happily. "Ok, thanks, Snow! I won't be long!".**

**Candy and I stepped outside into the mid-afternoon sun. It felt warm and relaxing. We began walking to Snow Sweet's house. Candy walked beside me and pressed up to me. "You okay, Mana?" she asked for the almost fourth time. "Yeah, Candy, I'm fine. Why'd do you keep asking? I don't mind, it is flattering to know you're concerned". She shrugged, "No reason, it's just... quite recently you've been mostly silent. And, *ahem*, no offense, most days I can't shut you up". She laughed lightly.** **"It's really nothing, Candy, honest! I'm just thinking about stuff is all" I replied. "Is this about my, um...", her face reddened and she looked away slightly. "No, nono. Well, I dunno. It may be. It's just... I care about you a lot, and you know I love you down to every detail. It's just every period of estrus, you change unwillingly, and it's only sated by-" I stopped for a moment in replacement of a certain word, "**_**that**_**, and I don't want our relationship ran by it. I want our relationship is run on the fact that we want to be with each other, you know?". There was silence as she processed everything. "Yeah... you're right. I can't help it. I want our relationship to be based on that too, it's just a natural function and it can't cause any harm to us. In fact, I kind of look forward to when it's just me and you" she blushed slightly but still looked up and smiled, "and our relationship won't be based on what happens during it. Think of it as our, hmm, venting period. That way anything pent up can be ridden of until next month". I thought about it for a moment, "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan". She giggled and nuzzled my shoulder affectionately, "I'm glad you agree". We walked by the Market and noticed Crimson Dream, he was walking in the same direction as us. He smiled and ran up to us. "Hey guys!" he called. He stopped suddenly and skidded for a few inches, "How you doing?". "Hey, bro!" I replied happily, "We were just on our way to Snow's house!". He nodded. "Hey, Candy!" he waved, she smiled gently and waved back. "You guys go on ahead, I'll be back in about ten minutes" he said before dashing off, "see you soon!".**

**"Now where is the herbal tea?" I spoke out loud. The Marketplace was so full no-one could hear me anyway. "Oh, excuse me, sir" came a quiet voice. I turned around to find a yellow pegasus with bubblegum hair in a cowering stance. "Oh! I'm sorry if I startled you, I just heard you talking about tea and I was getting some myself and I wanted to help, but I wasn't listening to your private conversation, I just, I, um...", the pegasus cowered even lower and let out a frightened squeak. "Uh, okay... thanks. Where can I find it... um, what's your name?" I asked. "I'm... Flut...shy". I tilted my head closer to her so I could hear her better, "Come again?". The pegasus raised her head to speak but lowered it again, "Fl-Flutt-shy". I groaned exasperatedly, "Okay, okay, I don't need to know anyway. Could you show me the tea stand please, Miss?". She nodded and pointed over to a small, green stand. "Uh... thanks".**

**Knock, knock, knock. The door opened quickly and Snow Sweet stood in the doorway, "Hey Candy! Hey Mana!" she greeted exuberantly, "Come in". We walked into the hallway and exchanged greetings. "Oh, sorry, Crimson's at the Market, he'll be here soon!". Candy and I nodded. "So, Snow. How you been?" Candy asked. I walked into the living room and left the mares to their business. I sat down on the couch and turned on my phone, might as well check my email. The two mares walked through and sat down on the opposite couch, still talking about miscellanous subjects. "Oh, I'm sorry! Would you like some tea, Candy?" Snow asked apologetically. Candy nodded, "I'd love some!". Snow turned to me, "How about you, Mana?". I nodded, "Thanks, Snow". She "hmph"-ed happily and went into the kitchen, Candy soon followed after. Nothing interesting appeared in my inbox, just junk and forum updates. I sighed and placed my phone back into my satchel. I heard something splash, followed by loud laughter. I dashed into the kitchen to see what is was. When I arrived in the kitchen I found that a bottle of milk had spilled and had covered Candy, matting her coat, though the two didn't care very much, they were both in hysterics. "Hahah, Snow, I don't *aha* suppose I can wash up?" she asked between bursts of laughter. Snow Sweet nodded, still laughing loudly. She ran through the living room to the stairs, her eyes tearing up from laughter. Snow managed to compose herself after a moment or two and continued making the tea. "Need a hand?" I asked. "Eh? Oh, sure! Could you clean up this for me?" she replied. I used magic to levitate a towel and whip it around quickly across the patch, doing the same with the milk bottle. "So, Mana" she began, "Do much this afternoon?".** **My head shot up, I tried to suppress the blush that was surfacing. Candy didn't **_**really **_**tell Snow Sweet did she? "N-no. Why'd you ask?" I replied as nonchalant as I could. "Gee, for someone who didn't do much you sure are blushing a lot" she giggled. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about, S-Snow" I stuttered. This was painful. "Are you sure? Candy tells me different". Oh, no. I sighed heavily, defeated. "Okay, we did" I admitted. She laughed softly, "Don't be ashamed, hon, everyone does it and according to Candy you didn't do half bad". Why in the name of Equestria was she talking to **_**me **_**about this!? "Well, you know, so... yeah" I replied, burning in embarassment. "Hey, Mana, I was just joking', you two weren't the only ones, you know" she whispered. I looked straight at her. "You mean... you-", she nodded, "and Crimson?", she nodded again. "Really?", she nodded vigorously, "Yes, Mana!". I was in slight shock, I really didn't think Snow, or Crimson for that matter, had it it them. "Wow, so **_**that's **_**why he didn't call".**

**The early evening breeze was a welcome change from the stuffy, humid environment in the Marketplace. I'd bought everything, assorted flavours of tea, most of which I didn't even know existed, and a large tub of Neaponytan Ice Cream. I was almost home and was looking forward to spending the rest of my Monday relaxing, even though I didn't do much to begin with. I wonder what Mana, Snow and Candy were doing right now...**

**Snow Sweet handed me a small teacup filled with a peculiar scented fluid, "Um, what flavour tea is this again?" I asked suspiciously. "Thistle" Snow replied flatly, "Try some it's really good!". I inspected it closely, it didn't look expired or rotten. I sipped a small bit. It tasted okay, but the scent left an impression in my mouth for a while, so I decided to leave it for now. Strangely enough, Snow and Candy loved it. The two made idle chatter for a while, taking a break every few minutes to take a sip from their tea. I drank some more of my tea out of boredom. It began to taste better with each mouthful. But before I knew it I drank it all. "Wow, you can tell you're a stallion" joked Snow, "You drink faster than Crimson!". The two giggled like schoolfillies before continuing their conversation. Fortunately the front door opened a few moments later. I let out a sigh of relief, finally someone to talk to.**

**I walked into the hallway and hung my satchel up on the coat hanger, removing the bag full of tea and ice cream and carrying into the kitchen. "Hey, everyone!" I called through. "Hey, Crimson" Snow smiled. Candy waved. "Hey, bro!" Mana greeted. I placed the bag on the table, removing the assorted box of tea and the tub of ice cream. "Oh, what tea did you get Crimson?" Snow asked. "I dunno, it just says assorted, the list is on the back". Snow inspected the box, "Yeah, this stuff seems okay". I placed the tub of ice-cream into the freezer, "So what're we watching?" I asked. Mana shrugged. "Ooh! Maybe we could watch that new romance movie I bought!" suggested Snow Sweet, Candy nodded in agreement. "Uh, maybe". Mana didn't object in any way. "Why, what do you two want to watch?" Candy asked. "Um, I dunno, what do you think Crimson?". I thought for a moment, there was no way Snow and Candy were gonna sit through an anime, horror or science fiction film without complaining, but Mana and I were gonna be bored out of our mind's watching (ugh) "Starcrossed: Another Generic Romance Film About Two Ponies Who Were Deeply In Love But Can't Be Together Because Of Some Cliche Complication That Can't Be Resolved But They Marry Each Other Anyway". Then again I remembered stallions like Mana and I don't have a chance arguing against mares, no matter how justified our opinions were. "Well, I guess a romance is okay". Snow and Candy quietly cheered in unison. Mana looked up at me and mouthed "Why?".**

**Urgh, I hate romance movies. He didn't even try and change their minds. Still, arguing with mares is easy, winning an argument with a mare is impossible. Still, he didn't even **_**try **_**to argue.**

**The T.V. blared out the developers introduction. Each couple sat on either side of the room: Mana and Candy sat on one couch, (the one against the wall), whereas Snow Sweet and I sat on the couch facing away from the kitchen. **_**"Ever since I was a filly I always dreamed of having a special somepony, but never got one", **_**(This was gonna be a looooong night), **_**"My first coltfriend was in high school, but it was short-lived when he found someone prettier and easier", **_**(Damn sister) **_**"then my second was in my first job, but I lost him when he was promoted to Head of The Department and decided to leave me for a marestress", **_**(...) **_**"after another heartbreak, I decided to give up on love and focus on my career, that landed me as Lead Editor for a renowned magazine company 'Flair'. I was at the top of my career and was completely jaded to the world of romance, until I met 'him'"**_**, thus began the film. **

**Why for the love of Celestia would mares find this interesting to watch? It's depressing. I cast a look over to Crimson, who was visibly bored, Snow Sweet seemed to be entranced in the film, as was Candy. The film transitioned to a mare waking up, playing upbeat rock music in the background and showing her morning routine. "You don't seriosly wanna watch this do you?" I whispered to Candy. **_**"Sshhh!"**_**. Never mind. I sighed. "It's only two hours long, Mana, it'll be over before you know it!" she assured. She grasped my free hoof and placed it on her stomach, placing hers ontop of mine.**

**"Two hours!? Are you serious?". Snow Sweet rolled her eyes, "Yes, Crimson, it's two hours. Just pipe down and watch it and you might like it. Do it for me and Candy, okay?" she asked sweetly. I groaned, fed up. "Pretty please? I'll promise I'll pay you back for it". Bribery, much? I sighed heavily, "Okay, fine. But you owe me one!". She sighed, happy with my answer, "Good".**

**One hour, thirty minutes later**

**This really can't be on for much longer. How long can you stretch two ponies chasing after each other for!?**

_**"I love you, Esmerelda, I want you to be mine for eternity. Please, my love, say that you'll be mine"**_ **(What the hay?) **_**"Oh, Enrico, yes, YES, I'll be yours forever!" **_**(Don't let this be a-) **_**"Esmerelda, won't you accompany me to my chambers, let me show you the intensity of my love for you!" **_**(Oh no...)**

**A... lovemaking scene? Now this is just painful to watch. The moaning and noises weren't helping much either. I looked over to Mana, who was just as embarassed and mortified as I was, blushing profusely. Strangely, Candy didn't seem to be affected, she was entranced in the two engaging in marital affairs. I looked down to see Snow also unfettered by the occuring events. **_**"OH ENRICO!" **_**Esmerelda called out. I let out a burst of laughter, involuntarily and out of sheer embarassment. Mana had his face buried in a throw cushion, his shoulder's shaking from uncontrollable laughter. Snow Sweet took my hoof and placed it on her abdomen. **_**"ESMERELDAAA-"**_

**Oh dear sweet Celestia make it stop! The awkwardness was unbearable, how could Snow and Candy watch this? I could still hear it through the throw cushion I used to obscure my face, **_**"Oh Esmerelda, my love, my desire for you is too powerful for me to control/It matters not, Enrico, make me your's this night, transcend me into the heavens, Enrico!"**_**. Please... stop.**

**25 Minutes Later**

_**"Leave this decrepit city with me Esmerelda, we can be together forever without the hindrances of the tabloid/I can't, Enrico, there are no hospitals in El Gallopioca/Why the need for medical attention, my love/I am pregnant, Enrico! I carry your child this day!- TO BE CONTINUED". **_**Well that was two hours I wasted that could've been spent on video games. "Well, uh, that was... fun, I guess". Crimson woke with a start, "What? Huh?". Snow and Candy were in tears at the sight of "such a **_**saaaad **_**ending". "Yeah, okay, let's *sniff* head home, Mana" Candy sobbed. I laid a hoof on her shoulder, "It was just a movie, Candy, they're okay". Candy jabbed me in the ribs, "Of course I know it's a movie, Mana, s'just sad", she put on a smile, still tearful. "Well, er, we're gonna head off home, see you Crimson, bye Snow". I pulled Candy out, still in tears, and began leading her home.**

**"Well, uh, that was interesting, eh, Snow?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, just so sad to have such an ultimatum you know?". I sighed, quite humoured by the fact Candy and Snow were so upset over a fictional event. I moved a stray flicker of hair from her face to behind her ear, "It's fictional, Snow, although ultimatums like that do arise they are never that dramatised. Really, Snow you do - ***_**uumph!***_**" I was interrupted by Snow Sweet pouncing forward to kiss me. I was able to keep my balance for a moment before falling backwards onto the carpet. I let out an involuntary "hmph" as I landed on my back. Snow pulled away ever so slightly, still just millimetres away from my face. "You okay?" she asked in a breathy tone. "Yeah, I'm fine", I pulled her back into the kiss. Her face was still slightly moist from crying but she was incredibly warm. Snow broke away again, "I'm sorry, I just-"** **"Does that happen **_**every **_**time you watch a romance movie with two strangers fornicating?", she giggled shyly, "I'm sorry, it's just a passion of mine, Candy too. I suppose it was a replacement for the lack of romance I got from Jock". Anger welled up inside me, "Wait! You two didn't-"** **"No, he was such a bloody narcissist and had an annoying obsession with weight-lifting, he was the last person I would of thought of to *giggle* fornicate was it?". I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, "Yeah, I just sometimes feel uncomfortable saying stuff to do with-"** **"Sex?" She finished flatly. I winced. "Uh, yeah. Not really a fan of saying that". Snow laughed, "Oh, Crimson. You're a big colt now, you don't need to be scared of the word-"** **"Yeah, yeah, okay, Snow" I interjected. She laughed again. "You really need to outgrow that soon, Crimson, how else are you supposed to ask?". I blushed incredibly. "I, uh, well". She pinned me down playfully, "Come on, Crimson. You're getting overpowered by a mare. Are you a stallion or a colt?". I laughed lightly. "Overpower me? You mean like this?", I pushed myself upwards roughly and grabbed hold of Snow, rolled over a few times and positioned myself above her, holding her arms down. She gasped in jest, "You can't pin down a mare". She closed her eyes halfway, "At least not without her permission". My pulse went into overdrive. "Snow... I-"** **"You're so cute when you're embarassed. Here let me give you a hoof". She removed her arm's and hooves slowly from my loosened grip and moved herself upwards, so her upper body was now propped up against the couch with her right hind leg bent into a kneeling position, and her left hind leg completely straight. She beckoned me closer with three quick strokes of her raised hoof. I crawled towards her and placed a hoof on the ground on both sides of her. She giggled quietly, "You okay, Crimson? You look confused". I couldn't break away from her stare, her enticing jade eyes. "Jeez, Crimson, you really look funny", she took firm hold of my face and shook it moderately, breaking my gaze.**

**"Your eyes-" Crimson muttered. "Hm?". He looked straight at me, "Your eyes, Snow, they look so beautiful". My heart leapt. "Oh, Crimson. That's sweet" I sighed. "It's true. Your eyes, your figure, your mane, your coat, the way you walk: It's all just perfect. That's why I get so nervous during our intimacy because I have so much I want to say to you it all chokes me up". His tone sounded genuine, I didn't think he found me so attractive and perfect. "Crimson, no-one has ever told me something like that before. You're not saying that for easy access, are you?" I asked in jest. He laughed quietly. "I love you, Snow Sweet, and only you". My body went weak and my heart soared. He pushed forward to kiss me. Oh my stars was he passionate. All my thoughts dissipated and my mind was blank. My insides melted and my stomach fluttered, leaving Crimson the dominant half. He broke away. "Oh, did I do that? Snow after your display last night I expected you to be tougher to break". I re-entered consciousness, "Wha-, Hey! No fair, you took a cheap shot". He shrugged, "All is fair in these affairs, Snow". I faked an angry look, still smiling from his light-hearted attitude. I couldn't maintain it for long; it only took a few moments before I let out an involuntary burst of laughter. "Thing is, Snow. I know your weaknesses here, you really shouldn't have exposed them that easily". I was about to question what he was saying until he wrapped his arms around me. As soon as he had a firm grip on me he began tracing his muzzle along my neck, before biting down lightly. I let out an involuntary moan of delight. I felt him smirk. He travelled further down, biting lightly at each interval. I condensed every exhale into a drawn out, but broken sigh. He reached my stomach and traced small circles with his hoof. It felt amazing. "Don't- s-stop". He laughed quietly, adding a little more pressure. I laid back and shut my eyes, trying to prevent myself from calling out in ecstasy. I felt something press down on my cutie mark. "Ooohh, C-Crimson, stop, stop, stop". He relieved the pressure, "Why, what's wrong? he asked, concerned". I shook my head, "Nothing, I just don't want this to finish before it even starts" I giggled. I went on my knees and pushed Crimson onto his back, "You ready?". He nodded eagerly. I knelt over him and sat on his abdomen. "This is gonna be fun". I rose upwards. I braced myself and pushed downwards. "Oooohhh, sweet mother of Celestia". Crimson simply moaned and jerked upwards slightly, pushing further in. I rose back up, and pushed down, with slightly more force than before. I rested my hooves on Crimson's stomach for balance, allowing me to gain more momentum. I held my breath to stop any noises from coming out, but was having great difficulty in doing so. Crimson braced himself on my upper hind legs and pushed upwards with great force. My senses overloaded as I gave in to the pleasure, "Ooohh, Crimson". He sat up and held on to my upper body, aiding my movements. My moans turned to gasps as I struggled to keep composure. "Crimson, *gasp*, I'm... gonna-" Crimson pulled me downwards suddenly as I finished, "I-ooohhh... m-my". I panted heavily, falling into Crimson's arms. "I-*gasp* I'm not-"** **"Whats wrong, Snow?" He asked. I inhaled deeply. "I'm not done yet". I got off of him and pulled myself over to the centre of the room, ontop of the wool carpet. I turned onto my back, using my elbows as support so I could face Crimson. I flickered my tail as an invitation. He smiled and crawled over to me, holding himself above me. I draped an arm behind his neck, and used my other for support. He looked down on me, his bright red mane obscuring his dark blue eyes. "You sure you wanna go again?" He asked. "Did you finish too?". He shook his head, "No, but I don't mind. I'm happy just satisfying you". I gave him a brief kiss, "I can't leave my very, VERY special somepony unsatisfied, Crimson". He smiled and nodded. "I'm ready" . He pushed inwards quickly, sending electricity through my body, "Aauughhooohh...". He picked up speed quickly, pushing inwards with notable force each time. Something inside me triggered, "Gah! Oh! Crimson!". I felt a pressure mount up suddenly, clouding my thoughts to the extent were I couldn't speak, only moan and pant. "Snow, I'm close" Crimson moaned. "Oh-oookaayy". Crimson picked up speed, moving incredibly faster. The pressure was building up rapidly, as if it was compressed and trying to break free. "Snow! I'm-"** **I threw both my arms around him and pulled him into Heartsoar. The pressure burst into a blinding white light, my sight faded, my arms weakened, my insides flipped, my stomach fluttered, never had I felt so alive. Crimson pushed into me as far as he could, moaning loudly. He pushed inwards a few more times, before collapsing into a heap ontop of me. My vision blackened, I felt exhausted, I held onto Crimson before I fell asleep.**

**The Next Morning**

**"Ooohh". My eyes slowly opened to the early morning sunlight, almost blinding me in the process. I felt a weight on my body, before remembering it was Crimson. He was completely wiped out, it was amazing his heart was still beating. I smiled lightly and shut my eyes. I held onto a tuft of his hair, stroking it gently. It was still slightly damp. I felt different. I couldn't pinpoint it, but it felt like there was something different about me.**


	4. Episode 4: Surprise! (Short)

**I woke up, exhausted. My head was throbbing painlessly and my eyes were still heavy. It was as if I had stayed up all night. Snow Sweet was fast asleep beside me, resting on her right arm. Thank Celestia we fell asleep on the wool carpet, I don't think I have enough energy to move upstairs. I didn't want to move anywhere. My mane was flat out on were I was laid on it. The sun was taunting me with it's glaring light, mocking my exhaustion by blasting my eyes with UV rays. I reached for my white shutter shades that I kept in the key bowl next to the couch. It was too far. You win this time, Celestia. Defeated, I buried my face into the carpet and tried going back to sleep. Then came a knock on the door. "What did I do to deserve this punishment?" I asked out loud. I rallied my remaining strength and picked myself up off the floor. "If you're up I'd love some tea" muttered an "asleep" Snow Sweet. "I'm sure you would, you should make some" I laughed. She opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. "You're not a morning person, are you, Snow?". She shrugged casually, "Mornings and I just don't meet eye to eye". Another trio of knocks came from the door, "OKAY!" I called, "Back in a sec, Snow". She waved and laid back down, "Come back with tea or don't come back at all". I wandered through the hallway, still drunk with tiredness. I opened the door to find no-one standing there. "Down here, Crimson" came a voice. I looked down to find Apple Bloom looking up at me, with a wide grin on her face, "Well Hi, Crimson! Long time, no see!". I regarded her quizzically, "Actually, it was only two days ago, Apple Bloom. To what do we owe this visit?". She looked downwards, kicking up dust, "Ah jus' want'd to see Snow Sweet is all. Mah fellow Crusad'r's an' I wanted to see her, but Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are late, ah think they've overslept". She smiled nervously and shifted between eye contact and looking away, "Eh, may ah come in?". I shrugged, "Sure, why not?". She charged past me and ran into the house. I walked into the living room to find Apple Bloom hugging Snow Sweet tightly, and Snow Sweet returning the hug. "Hey, hon. How have you been?". Apple Bloom jumped back slightly, "Well, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle an' I trah'd gettin' our fishin' cutie marks, but it didn't go down well", she looked a downtrodden. Snow Sweet rested a hoof on her shoulder affectionately, "You'll find your cutie marks soon". Apple Bloom looked up into Snow Sweet's eyes. "Your eyes're twinkling, Snow. You look really pretty!". Snow Sweet blushed lightly, "Thank you, hon. Hey, Crimson!" she looked at me, "Where's our tea?**

**I carried the tray of hot beverages into the living room, where Apple Bloom and Snow Sweet were talking about various topics. I lifted the honeymint tea cup and gave it to Apple Bloom, "Thank you, Crimson!" she smiled gratefully and took the teacup, she sipped it and winced. "Careful, hon, it's hot" Snow Sweet warned in jest. Apple Bloom giggled, embarassed. I passed the thistle tea to Snow Sweet, "Thank you, Crimson". I sat down next to Apple Bloom with my peppermint and nettle tea. "Any crusading plans, Apple Bloom?" I asked. She placed the teacup on her lap, "Uh, yeah. Later today we're tryin' for our cow-herdin' cutie marks". Didn't a stampede of cows almost decimated Ponyville less than a year ago? "Cow-herding? Eh? Good luck with that". Apple Bloom turned back to face Snow Sweet, continuing her previous conversation. I turned on my PonyDroid Smart II and went onto the internet, checking misceallaneous sites such as PonyDroid Phone Reviews (I was thinking of getting the Lunar Galaxy S3 as a birthday present for Snow Sweet) and the new PonyU (also a birthday present idea, but for Mana Springs), sipping my tea everytime my phone had to load a webpage. Soon came a knock on the door. "That'll be Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. I was about to go answer the door but Apple Bloom was already charging straight for it. I heard the door open, "Oh, Snow Sweet, there's someone here for you!". A moment later Candy came into the living room, "Hey, Snow! You feeling okay?". Snow nodded lightly. "And who are you, young filly?" she directed at Apple Bloom. "Ahm, Apple Bloom, Miss Candy". Candy smiled widely, "Pleasure to meet you, Apple Bloom". Ugh, in a room with two mares and a filly, it's every schoolcolt's worst nightmare. "Where's Mana, Candy?". She shrugged, "He said he was going to Canterlot today for this convention, Something-Con, I dunno. He won't be back till tomorrow". I groaned in exasperation, I could ask if Parasol wanted to come out with me. I pulled out my PonyDroid and checked Parasol's profile on FaceHoof. Her status read "Gone to Canterlot with Mana and my special somepony for Canter-Con!". Damn. I'll just go to the library instead. The three females were conversing, unintelligable to me. "I'm gonna head off to Ponyville Library, Snow. You three have fun". I walked over to her and gave her a quick kiss on the muzzle. She hugged me tightly for a moment and then went back to her conversation.**

**30 Minutes Later**

**"So, anyway, that's when me an' the other Cutie Mark Crusader's decided that Babs (pronounced Bay-abs) was jus' a bully outta fear, cos of her being bullied herself back in Manehattan" finished Apple Bloom. "How lovely". I nodded in agreement, "I'm glad you didn't exact your revenge after hearing of Babs' backstory, I find it terrible when people exact a 'revenge' despite a valid reason of their offence". Apple Bloom smiled and nodded, "I bett'r go see what Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are doin', they said they'd be here earlier".** **"Okay, hon, just be careful on your way there" I warned. "Ah will, Snow. Bye, Candy!" she called on her way out. "Isn't she such a nice filly, Candy?". She didn't reply, she was staring at me with a stern look on her face. "You look different, Snow" she said in a dire tone, "Last night, did you two?". I nodded, blushing slightly. She smiled slightly, but alternated between concern and happiness. "Why, what's wrong, Candy?". She made an invisible circle in front of my face, "Your eye's have that twinkle, you're glowing, you're acting maternal to Apple Bloom with the hot drinks and hospitality". I shook my head, "No! You're overthinking this, Candy". But I couldn't help but feel a seed of doubt being planted. "Am I?" she asked, almost tauntingly, "The evidence is clear, hon. The glow, the twinkle, the maternity. It's early morning for Celestia's sake, WHY aren't you drinking coffee?". I shrugged, "Nothing it's just that caffeine could harm the..." Something inside my mind clicked "...baby".**

**"C-Candy" Snow whimpered. I pulled myself over to her and pulled her into a hug, "It'll be okay, Snow. You can have a baby, it's... not too hard(?)". Snow began crying softly, "H-How am I s-supposed to tell Crimson about this?". I stroked her hair softly, trying to calm her down. "He'll be elated, Snow! He did say he wanted a child with you, in fact, he said he wanted a family!". She buried her head in my chest and began sobbing. "Candy, I'm.. scared" she sobbed, "I don't know how to do anything with kids. I can't even remember to put the milk back when I make tea. How am I supposed to remember all the things that are to do with parenthood!?". I pushed her outwards slightly so I could talk to her face-to-face, "Snow, you're not alone in this. Crimson is a good pony, he'll take care of you and the baby, he isn't the type who'll run away from this. Everything is going to be okay. Now you need to stop crying over this, as stress is bad for both you and the baby", I had to give some tough love, I have never seen Snow in such a state. Snow nodded, inhaled strongly, then exhaled. "Okay" she whispered, "I'm... okay". I pulled her back into a hug, "It's gonna be okay, Snow. You know how good Crimson is, and I've seen you with Apple Bloom. You handled her like a pro!", Snow giggled lightly at this, still slightly sobbing, "And if it feels a bit overwhelming, Mana and I are always available". Snow sniffed once more and sighed, "Okay, Candy, you're right. But how am I supposed to tell Crimson?"**

**The morning sun was shining brightly, but strangely the wind was a touch frosty. Still, it was nothing too harsh. I was almost at the library. "Look oouuuttt!". I turned to find a cyan pegasus flying towards me. I braced myself for impact. "OOF!", The pegasus collided into me and knocked me over. After a few seconds the pegasus stood back up and shook herself violently, then turned to look at me. "Oh, aah, hehe. You okay?" she asked, in an awkard, laughing tone. "Oh, yeah, just dandy" I replied sarcastically, still in shock of taking a hit. "Good, but next time be more careful where you're standing". Me!? "Excuse me? I need to watch where I'M going? At that speed you could've broken my neck!". She shrugged, "Well your neck's fine, isn't it?". I was becoming more and more infuriated at her arrogance. I exhaled sharply, "You know what, I don't care. Just watch out next time, okay?". She shrugged again, "Whatever".**

**My mind was numb, unable to process my recent discovery. I was pregnant, with Crimson Dream's child. Could we even have a child? He's an Earth pony and I'm a Pegasus! Will our child be mutated? Will it even be born? I began tearing up again. NO! No, it was gonna be okay, I'm gonna tell Crimson when he gets home, and he'll be... he'll be... I burst out crying. "Oh, Candy, I can't do this!" I cried, "I'm not strong enough!". Candy held me close, "Sh, sh, sh, sshhh. It's gonna be okay, Snow". I pushed her away roughly, "No! It won't be, I'm weak, I can't have a baby! I'm too scared for this!". Candy's face dropped. I just shoved and hurt the one person trying to help me, "I-I-I'm sorry, Candy. I'm just..." I calmed down, "I'm just scared, Candy. I don't know anything about babies, or kids, or parenthood or anything. I don't have any siblings, I haven't even held a baby before. They're just so soft and fragile and weak and dependant on me doing the right thing". Candy sighed in relief, "Snow, please know that everything will be fine. Your having a baby for Celestia's sake! You and Crimson are gonna have a family!". It **_**did **_**sound nice when she said it that way. "Well, yeah, you're right! Me and Crimson are gonna have our own baby! We're gonna have a family!" I almost yelled in excitement. "Yeah, Snow! That's what I've been trying to say!". I squealed excitedly, "Oh wow, a baby, well, a child of our own. I wonder if it'll be a filly or a colt? Or a Pegasus or an Earth pony!". Candy laughed heartily, "Yep, Snow. Just you and Crimson".**

**The library was warm inside. I sighed in relief as I left the cold outside and entered the warm indoors. "Hey Crimson, what can I do for you?" Twilight asked, appearing from behind a makeshift counter. "Hey, Twi" (Why'd I say 'Twi'? Only her friends and Mana Springs call her that) "Do you have any books on WarPony 40,000?". She laughed slightly, "Oh, yeah I have those, seems like only you and Mana Springs read them. All they do is collect dust". She gestured over to a dusty section labelled 'Science Fiction/Wargame Novelisations'. "Thanks, Twilight" I smiled. The books were frightfully dusty, albeit one which looked recently returned. The title was "Attack On Ursalas Majoris ". It looked quite interesting. I decided to take this one home.**

**I rubbed my (still flat) stomach softly. Oh, this was so exciting! "You haven't got the stomach yet, Snow. Give it a few months you'll wish the huge bump wasn't there!". I didn't reply, I didn't care. I was having a baby! Well, not for another few months, anyway. Candy walked back in from the kitchen, holding a small plate with a few lavender biscuits on them. My favourite! But, I wasn't really in the mood for them, "Does lavender have anything harmful in it?" I asked, very concerned for my unborn child's health. Candy looked at me quizzically, "Uh, no. It's just a flower. It has no effects on your baby, good or bad". I shrugged, "Just checking". I took one and bit into it. Suddenly, my appetite flooded back and I felt ravenous. I finished the first and demolished the other two in four swift bites. Candy stared, mouth agape. I giggled nervously, "Ehh, any more?".**

**I pushed open the door to Snow Sweet's house to find it rather quite, albeit a light conversation occuring in the living room. "Hey, girls" I called from the hallway. "Oh, uh, Hi... Crimson". I walked into the living room, "What's up?". Neither mare replied, they just opened their mouths to talk, but then quickly shut them. "Ok, then". Probably just some silly mare thing. I walked into the kitchen and took the coffee out from the cupboard. I took the lid off and inhaled through the nose. Vanilla. Happy with the selected flavour, I made three mugs full of it for the two mares and I. "Hope you like vanilla, Candy" I called. "Uh, yeah, that's fine, Crimson". Jeez, what was up? I brought the three mugs through on a tray, "Are you two sure everything is okay? You both seem awkward and secretive". Candy shrugged deliberately, "Ah, well, you're a stallion, you wouldn't understand. Deal with it". Woah. "Did I do something?". Snow shook her head, "No". I dismissed it. I lifted one mug and offered it to Snow. She just stared at it. "Take it, Snow". Candy faked a sneeze and knocked it out of my hands by waving her arms violently. The mug and coffee flew across the room and smashed against the wall. "Candy!". Snow didn't seem bothered, "I... suppose accidents happen". Candy nodded, "I'm sorry, Crimson. I have, uh, hay fever?". I looked her over, "You look- Forget it". This day was getting weirder and weirder, at least it can't get worse. I lifted the second mug and offered it to Snow, Candy can have mine. Snow stared at it. "Snow, take the coffee. It's vanilla, your favourite, right?". She nodded. "Well, I'm thirsty" Candy announced before snatching the coffee and downing it all, crumpling in pain. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Hm! Y-Yeah- just really *hm* thirsty" she replied, wincing in agony. Dear, Celestia, this day is just... never mind. I took the last coffee and was about to hand it to Snow, but stopped, I suppose she didn't want coffee. I waved a hoof over it, it was scalding, and Candy drank and swallowed a full mug. "Uh, Snow and I are gonna go out for a bit". I shrugged, "Sure".**

**The hospital was blindingly white and starched. I was sat on the examination gurney, waiting for the nurse. "Are you ready, Snow?". I nodded, "It'll be okay, Candy, it's just an examination, right?". A white earth pony entered the room. "Hello, Mrs. Sweet. Are you ready for your examination?". I nodded, becoming increasingly nervous, "Please, call me, Snow". She nodded and smiled reassuringly, "I'm Nurse Redheart. Now, please know this is just an examination, there is nothing to be worried about. All you need to do is lie on your back for a moment". I nodded and laid down on the gurney mattress, it was quite comfortable. Nurse Redheart put a stethoscope on my stomach, (technically womb), and listened intently. She smiled happily, took the stethoscope off and handed it to me. I put on the stethoscope and placed the small metal ring on my stomach. I couldn't hear anything. Panic coursed through me. I involuntarily began gasping lightly in fear. Nurse Redheart took the little metal ring and relocated it to my lower stomach. A little, rapid heartbeat could be heard. "This is... my baby's heartbeat". Candy sighed in relief.**

**Snow Sweet began tearing up, still smiling. I walked over to her and and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "Let's go tell Crimson".**

**Mishigura The Pony Samurai unsheathed his lenghty, demon-soul infused katana, readying for the showdown against Keshirukku, Demon Lord sent to kill the last of the Reshikuru bloodline. "Don't try it with me, Mishigura, your swordplay is flimsy and your agility is that of a Daemonic Parasite. Lay down your pathetic blade and surrender to me, or die a pitiful death". Mishigura traced his blade on the ground, fixing his glare on his opponent, "Don't mock me with your superficial insults, Keshirukku. My blade shall not be sheathed until it has tasted your unholy blood". Keshirukku pointed his demonic, blood-stained blade directly at Mishigura, "I have heard enough of you, prepare to meet your demise". The two samurais charged at each other, brandishing their weapons. The swords clashed, shrieking a metallic cry of war.** **I heard a click and a short, creaking noise, "Hey, Crimson. I'm back". I paused the anime and got up to greet Snow Sweet, "Hey, Snow. Are you okay? Where did you go?". Snow came into the living room and sat down. She patted the cushion next to her. I went over and sat down next to her. "Is everything okay, Snow?", I pulled her close to me, "You seem off, today. Have I done something?". Snow shook her head, "No, Crimson. I just have to tell you something...", she paused for a moment, then exhaled, "I went to... the hospital...".** **"Are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked, panic-stricken. "I'm fine, Crimson. I just had a test done...". Test? "W-What kind of test?". She sighed. "I... I'm... pregnant". My stomach flipped. "You're... pregnant?". Snow Sweet nodded slowly, "P-Please don't be mad". Mad!? "Why would I be mad, Snow? I'm gonna be a dad!". Snow sighed loudly in relief. I was so excited, I'm gonna be a father and have a family! "Snow, why didn't you tell me sooner?". Snow lightly began sobbing, "I was afraid you'd leave me out of fear or anger". I hugged Snow tightly and kissed her on the head, "Snow, I wouldn't abandon my love or my child! To do such a thing would be cowardly, not to mention cruel, to let a child grow up without both his parents? Forget about it. I love you too much to leave you, Snow, and now I have a child too! Do you know what gender it is?. Snow laughed happily, "I'm not far enough gone for that, but I heard it's heartbeat". Snow held me firmly, "Oh Crimson, I'm so glad to know you're here to stay for me and the baby". I placed a hoof on her stomach, rubbing gently, "Still like the names we discussed?".**


	5. Episode 5: Call The Marewife

_**Take Place 11 Months After Episode 4**_ **Snow Sweet laid back in the hospital bed, wincing in pain. "Are you sure you don't want anything for the pain, Snow? What about that air stuff that you inhale?". She shook her head, "Ah! No, I don't want to have anything of that sort, painkillers are bad for the baby, who by the way, is causing me tremendous pain right now!", Snow was almost yelling in pain, it was actually quite frightening. "Okay, okay. I'll be right back". As much as I loved her, this yelling and pain was scaring me. "W-Where are you going!?" Snow asked, frightened. "J-Just to get a nurse or something". I shut the door behind me and let out a long sigh of relief. This wasn't right, she needed me, but this was crazy. Oh! I'll call Mana, he'll know what to do... hopefully.**

_***RRRRNNNGGGG!* **_**"AGH!" I leapt up in shock. Oh, it was just my phone, Crimson was calling. I swiped my hoof across the answer tab and held it to my ear, "Hello?".** **"Oh, thank Celestia. Mana, please come to the hospital! Snow is in pain and I don't know what to do!". I glanced across at my alarm clock, it was 3.24am! "Are you sure you can't do it alone? I'm exhausted and sleeping, like everyone else". Candy began stirring, "Mana, can't this call wait? Who is it?". I moved the phone to my shoulder, "It's Crimson, I think Snow has gone into labour". Candy leapt up, "What!?".**

**"Breathe in, Snow. Just take deep breathes, you need to calm down". Who does this mare think she is!? "I'm in labour, Redheart! I'm in unbelievable pain, tell me something USEFUL!". Nurse Redheart sighed in exasperation, "You need to breathe properly otherwise your not gonna get over this pain. Deep breathes". I inhaled deeply, then exhaled. The pain lowered in intensity slightly. I inhaled, then exhaled. It felt better. "Okay, w-where's Crimson?".**

**"Hurry up, Mana, we have to get to the hospital!" I called from the hallway. He stumbled out of the kitchen, drowsily, clutching a can of 'Red Bolt'. He opened it and downed it quickly. "Okay, let's go!". I pushed the door open and began running towards the hospital, "Hey! Wait up!" called Mana, locking the door. I stopped, pacing impatiently, "Move it! We need to get there quickly!". He dashed to meet me, "Sorry, sorry" he replied, a sense of hurt in his voice. I hugged him tightly, "I'm sorry, hon, I just want to be there for Snow. We've been friends since we were kids. Now she's having her own child and she sounds scared, and YOU need to be there for Crimson cos being with someone who is giving birth is pretty nerve-wracking too. I'm sorry if I snapped". Mana smiled proudly, "Okay!". I nodded happily, "Let's go!".**

**I sat outside the room, my head in my hooves. I felt a hoof on my shoulder, I looked up. "Parasol!". She smiled warmly, "Hey, Crimson. You okay?". I nodded, "I'm fine, it's Snow I'm worried about". Parasol pointed to the door, I nodded. She opened it, "AAAAGHHH!". She shut it quickly, a terrified look on her face, "Okay, never mind that". I laughed out of nerves, "Yeah". She swallowed nervously, "That was... something. I think I'll wait out here with you". She sat down next to me. "I should be in there". Parasol shook her head, "Crimson, it doesn't whether you're her coltfriend or not, **_**that **_**wasn't a pleasant sight... or sound". The Maternity Ward door swung open.**

**"Mana!" Crimson called in relief, "Thank Celestia you're here. It's nightmarish in there". I was rather intrigued, I reached to open the door, when Parasol smacked my hoof away, "Trust me, Mana, it ain't pretty". I shrugged, "Okay. Hi, by the way". Parasol smiled and punched me on the shoulder, "Heya, Mana". Candy was nowhere to be found. "Did Candy just go in there?". Parasol and Crimson shrugged.**

**"Candy, I'm so glad your here". I held Snow's arm assuringly, "It'll be okay, Snow. I'm here for you, and hopefully Crimson if he gets his head together". Snow nodded, gasping in pain, "I... want him here when the baby comes". Nurse Redheart looked up, "It's on it's way, Snow, you may want to go get Crimson now". Snow looked up at me, "C-Candy, please go get Crimson". I headed for the door immediately.**

**The door swung open, "Crimson, the baby is on it's way. You need to get in here". Oh no. "Er, are you sure?". Mana poked me sharply, "It's your kid, Crimson! Get in there!". I began shaking involuntarily, "Maybe you should go, Parasol. You've had experience with kids". Parasol looked at me strangely, "I work in Cloudsdale, I don't know any kids and I have no siblings, why would you say that?". Damn. "Candy?".** **"JUST GET IN THERE!" yelled Mana, Parasol and Candy. "Alright, alright". I headed for the door, but froze in fear. Parasol tutted loudly and began pushing me into the room. "Uh, Parasol, j-just hold on a sec". She smacked me soundly on the back of the head, "Stop being such a baby, you think your scared right now but your not the one giving birth without the father of the child, now stop stalling AND GET IN THERE!". Parasol was right, Snow was having more trouble with this then me, what the hay was I thinking. "Okay, Parasol, I got this". I entered the room to find Snow almost crying in pain. She looked up and noticed me, "Where have you been!?". I walked over to her and took her hoof in mine, "I just had some thinking to do, you okay- Actually, don't answer, it's quite obvious you're not". She laughed slightly in pain. I put my arm around her and pulled her close to me, letting her squeeze my hand for stress relief. "Okay, Snow, now I need you to push". She gasped in agony, "I have to push!?". Nurse Redheart nodded, "You have to to give birth, Snow. Brace yourself and push!". Mana, Candy and Parasol entered the room. Candy and Parasol ran up to Snow for support. Mana recoiled in horror, "Damn it, Snow! That must hurt!". I stared at him in disbelief (and also humour). "What?" he shrugged. I motioned him to come closer. He walked over, shielding his eyes, "Damn, Crimson, that's terrifying". I nodded in agreement, "It's not like I wanna see it, bro". Snow Sweet howled in pain, "Snow, you need to push!". Snow Sweet shook her head, "No way! It hurts!". I squeezed her hoof tightly, "Snow, you have to push! We're all right here, you're gonna be fine". Snow looked at me, her eyes sparkling with tears, "You promise?". I nodded, "Yes! I promise, Snow. Now push!". Snow nodded, "Okay". Snow tightened her grip, almost crushing my hoof. "AAAAGGGHHHH!". Snow stopped, red-faced and heavily panting. "Once more, Snow, it's almost delivered!". Snow growled in anger, "Ah, okay, alright!". She inhaled heavily, "GGGAAAAAHHHH-hhhaahh". A small cry was heard.**

**A baby's cry resounded quietly throughout the room, breaking the dead silence. Nurse Redheart lifted up a small, white bundle and handed it to Snow Sweet. Snow reached out and took it. She brought it to her chest and moved the cotton blanket out the way. Inside the bundle was the baby, our baby. It was a light pink colour with a moderate blue mane with lighter blue stripes, and it's eyes were a bright yellow. "She's... beautiful..." whispered Snow Sweet. "Yeah...". The baby had stopped crying and was staring up at Snow Sweet with a blank, adorable expression. She smiled and giggled in a high tone, reaching out. Snow Sweet sighed, tears welling up in her eye's, "Crimson, we may need to rethink 'Amber Sweet'". I agreed, Amber suggested orange, and the baby was pink! "Um, how about... huh, I dunno", I was stuck for names. "Congrats on the filly, Snow" giggled Candy, Parasol nodded, still staring at the child, "She's really pretty, Snow". Mana patted me on the back twice, "Nice one, Crimson. Too bad she won't be into video games or anime". Something smelt strange, I sniffed noticably. "What's wrong, Crimson?". I shrugged, "I dunno, something smells like rose flower". The baby cried out. Hold on. "Rose?". The baby gurgled happily and reached out again. "H-Hey, Snow! How about Rose Sweet?". Snow laughed lightly and nodded, "Sounds good". Candy, Parasol and Mana cheered. Mana nudged me, "Hey, Crimson, why don't you hold Rose?". Snow looked up and smiled, "You wanna? I'm so tired and I'm afraid I might fall asleep with her still in my arms". I nodded, "Sure!". I opened my arms outwards, Rose looked up at me and smiled. I took hold of her in my arms. She was giggling and trying to grab hold of my shutter shades. I lowered my head so she could hold them. She could only manage to knock them about so they hung lazily on my muzzle. She gave up and laid her tiny hooves on her chest, before yawning widely. "Uh, Mr. Dream, if I may?", Nurse Redheart stretched her arms out to take Rose Sweet, but I didn't see why she'd need to. "With all due respect: Why?". Nurse Redheart looked at me quizzically, "So I can place her in the crib so she can sleep?". I handed Rose Sweet over to Nurse Redheart reluctantly. "It's okay, Crimson, the crib is right there" Nurse Redheart pointed to a small, white crib in the corner of the room, "You can sit next to her if you like". I looked over to my friends and Snow Sweet, "You guys can go home now, I know how it's 4am". Mana looked at Candy and shrugged, "You wanna head home? I'm exhausted. Candy glanced over to Snow who was fast asleep, and nodded, "Sure, congratulations on the filly, Crimson". I smiled as thanks. Parasol yawned and stretched, "I'm gonna head off to bed too. Congrats, Crimson". I nodded, "Thanks, Parasol. It means a lot". She smiled and left the room, leaving just me, Snow and Rose. I stood beside Snow Sweet, leaning in to kiss her on the forehead, "Good night, my love". She smiled and moved in her sleep. I pulled up a chair and placed it next to Rose Sweet's crib. I rested on my arms on the sides so I could watch her. She slept lightly and was slowly rising and falling with every little breath. "Good night, Rose", I stroked the side of her face lightly, she twitched lightly and yawned. I rested my head on my arms, falling asleep.**

**"Mr. Crimson...", I felt myself being shaken lightly. "Crimson, wake up". I lifted my head slowly, careful not to blind myself with any bright lights. I turned and faced Nurse Redheart, "Yeah?". She took her hoof from my shoulder, "Rose is still sleeping, so I need you to get off the crib so I can read her status monitor". I leapt up, "You don't think there's something wrong do you?". She shook her head, "No, no. I just need to check is all, besides she's only been asleep two hours", (6am?). I looked over to the wall clock: It was 6.31am. "Okay, Nurse, take your reading". She glanced at the small, green monitor and wrote down something on a notepad, "Okay, all done. You can go back to sleep now, but not on the side of the crib. There's enough room for you to sleep next to Snow Sweet if you want". I nodded, half-drunk with exhaustion, and walked over to get into the bed. I lifted the sheets and laid down. It was comfortable, warm and soft. I reached over and around Snow Sweet so I could hold her. I pulled her towards me and wrapped my arms around her. She wriggled slightly and exhaled. I kissed the side of her face and went back to sleep.**

**3 hours later**

**"Waaahhh!". I jumped up, luckily it was only Rose. I got out of bed and walked over to her crib. She was crying and kicking her legs out. "Hey, Rose, what's wrong?". She stopped crying and looked up at me. She grunted softly and reached her arms out to me. I reached in and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around my neck gently and bit into my shoulder, but without teeth it didn't really hurt. "Omph, namph, namph". I laughed quietly, "You hungry, kiddo?". What do I actually feed to babies? I think it was something like milk or yoghurt or something dairy. I sat down and rested her on my lap. She began gurgling and babbling unintelligably. My shoulder was moist from when she was trying to eat it. Rose was looking around, amazed at her surroundings. She stared at Snow Sweet, who was still fast asleep. Rose pointed at Snow, "Bah". I didn't think her vocabulary would be too advanced. "Almost, Rose. It's Mum, Ma, Mom or Mummy" I explained. She stared at me blankly for a moment, before pointing again and saying "Bah". I nodded, "Close enough, kiddo". She smiled and gurgled happily.** **Nurse Redheart stepped into the room, "Oh, good morning, Crimson. And to you, Rose". She walked in with a small bottle in her mouth, held by the glass side, "Here, the baby will be hungry". I took it and pointed the small yellow thing towards Rose, "Uh, is this right?". Nurse Redheart nodded, pointing to Rose Sweet who was already drinking from it rapidly. She was holding onto it firmly and was drinking it incredibly fast, "Well, she's got **_**my **_**appetite". Nurse Redheart laughed softly, "It's common for babies to be hungry when they come out into the real world, although it's rather impressive". Rose had finished the bottle and had let go, and began pulling some strange faces. "Is this normal?". Nurse Redheart nodded, "Yes, babies need to be burped by the parent before they can develop the ability to do it alone. Here, follow my instructions: First, put Rose over your shoulder". I obeyed, lifting Rose up and resting her on my shoulder. "Now pat her back, **_**GENTLY**_**, until she burps". I nodded, patting her back softly. Shortly after she belched sharply. "Quite the lady, isn't she?". Nurse Redheart nodded happily, "Good job!". Snow began stirring, before slowly opening her eyes. I carried Rose across my shoulder and walked over to Snow Sweet, "Good morning, Snow. You feeling okay?". She nodded, "I'm just a bit rough", she sat up in her bed and looked at Rose, "Good morning, hon, did you sleep well?". Rose laughed and reached out for Snow Sweet. Snow took hold of Rose and brought her to her chest. She began talking quietly to Rose and began rocking her gently. Rose was staring directly at Snow with an intrigued look, her eye's wide open and sparkling. "Um, Mrs. Snow Sweet-"** **"Miss, Nurse, we're not married..." she looked up from Rose, smiling playfully, "yet". I blushed slightly, "Okay, Miss Snow Sweet, do you feel able enough to be discharged?". Snow thought for a second, "Well, maybe. My abdomen is a bit sore and feels like it's gonna cramp, is that normal?". Nurse Redheart had a stern look about her, scaring me slightly at the thought of Snow's life being at risk. "Well, it's too be expected, but I'd like to keep you in here just in case". Snow looked at Nurse Redheart quizzically, "What's the deal? It's to be expected but not common?". Nurse Redheart swallowed, "Well, uh, Mr. Crimson could you please step outside?"** **"No! I wanna know what's going on with Snow. Is it serious or what?" I retorted with vehemence. "It'll be okay, hon. Take Rose and go wait outside", Snow offered Rose to me. I sighed, "Okay, Snow, I'll go wait. But if something is up, I wanna know. I've read about complications in childbirth and it's not good". Snow nodded, "I know, Crimson. Take Rose and go wait outside". I took Rose and headed for the door, but stopped next to Redheart. "She's... not in danger is she?" I whispered. "I don't know. We'll have to run some tests and perform an examination. I... don't want to give false hope". My heart sunk, please be okay, Snow.**

**The door clicked quietly. "So... what's wrong, Nurse?". She sighed sympathetically, "Well, since this is your first child, your body hasn't been adapted to childbirth before and... due to this, your body has taken a... 'hit'". I swallowed any fear that was forming, "What do you mean 'hit'?". Nurse Redheart lowered her head, "Your arteries are at risk of rupture and internal hemorrhage, which could cause you to bleed out if not monitored". I'm at risk of dying? "So... you're telling me that due to childbirth, I'm at risk of an early death, leaving Rose without a mother?". Nurse Redheart nodded weakly. I exhaled deliberately, "Crimson is responsible and would be able to handle Rose on his own, I know he can. Plus... he'd find another special somepony to be a mother to Rose". Nurse Redheart's head shot up, "Well, it's only a risk, a-and if you're being monitored, we can deal with a bleed if we catch it early. It may be rare but it's controllable". I shook my head, "I understand what the condition can do, but if there is a possibility of me passing... Crimson needs to know so he can be ready to raise Rose Sweet on his own". Nurse Redheart was about to object, but stopped. "Okay. I'll tell him. Unfortunately, due to your condition..." Nurse Redheart sighed, "You can't have any contact with Crimson Dream or Rose Sweet for the next few days, in which time the arteries will be repaired and you'll be safe". I nodded slowly, "Okay... Not seeing me won't affect Rose will it?". Nurse Redheart shook her head, "She'll be fine, she has seen you and has regarded you as her mother by natural psychology". I lowered my head to mask the surfacing tears, "Tell them both that I love them and everything will be okay. Don't let Crimson back in here and make sure he is given everything required to maintain Rose's needs". Nurse Redheart nodded solemnly, "Okay, Snow".**

**What on Earth was going on? Why wouldn't anyone tell me? What was wrong with Snow? Rose began crying, "I'm sorry, sweetie, everything is gonna be okay". I rocked her gently to try and calm her down, but it had no effect. "Excuse me, may I?" came a quiet voice. I looked up to see the same yellow pegasus I saw almost a year ago. "I, um, kinda know a way to soothe crying children", she was smiling nervously. "Uh, I don't know, I don't want Rose to confuse you as her mother" I explained. "Oh, okay, why don't you. All you have to do is rock her gently and talk quietly in a comforting tone". It was worth a shot. I rocked her slowly and smoothly while talking to her about the history of Ponyville, it always made me sleepy. Rose slowly stopped crying. "Thank you, Miss". She smiled, "My name is Fluttershy. Are you alright, you seem startled". I lowered my head to look at Rose, "Well... my marefriend may have something wrong with her, and... I'm scared". Fluttershy placed an assuring hoof on my shoulder, "I'm sure it'll be okay, you seem to nice to have something this bad happen". I smiled lightly, "Thanks, but I'm still concerned about Snow Sweet". Fluttershy placed a hoof on Rose, who responded by giggling and trying to bite her hoof. Snow should be the one spending time with Rose. I pushed Fluttershy's hoof away sharply, causing her to squeak, frightened, "Oh, I'm sorry". Damn, this wasn't her fault! "No, it's me. I'm just so worried about Snow". Fluttershy placed a hoof back on my shoulder, "I understand". Snow's door opened slowly and Nurse Redheart stepped out, shutting it behind her. I jumped up, "Is she okay?". Nurse Redheart shut her eyes and looked down, "Snow wants you to take Rose Sweet home and stay there for the next few days". I shook my head, rage building up inside me, "No! No, I'm not! Let me see her!". I attempted to enter the room but Nurse Redheart held me back, "You have to go home and look after Rose for the next few days. Snow will be fine". I tried to push past her, "Let me through!". She pushed me back sharply, "You have to look after Rose!". I advance forward, back raised offensively, "Let... me... through!". Nurse Redheart cowered slightly. Fluttershy grabbed my arm, "Crimson, calm down, I'll walk you home". I looked into her big, emerald eyes, my anger slowly evaporated. I sighed, defeated, "I'm sorry, Nurse. Really, I am". Nurse Redheart stood back up fully, "It's understandable, Crimson. I'll send you some supplies for Rose, later today. For now, take this bottle, formula and blanket", she handed me a small, wool blanket, a small, aluminum tin and a plastic bottle. I nodded, "Thank you, Nurse". Fluttershy led me to the elevator. We entered and she pressed the ground floor button. "Thank you, Fluttershy. I don't know what I would've done without you. All I can say is if you weren't there, Rose would probably be without a father for a good few years". Fluttershy shook her head, "I don't think you'd be mean enough to do that, you just love Snow Sweet a lot, and feelings can lead us to do crazy things". I nodded, "I guess you're right. But this wasn't the only time I've done something cruel due to my feelings". Fluttershy looked over to me, "What was the other time?". I lowered my head, "I'm a child of divorce, and when my parent's were divorcing, my best friend Mana Springs was there for me. He'd defend me against bullies and fillies who would mock me from the safety of their cliques. Anyway, one night, when my parent's argued, I was invited to sleep at Mana Spring's house for the night. And, I did something horrible". Fluttershy was silent. "I was given an amulet that had a picture of my parents when they were happily married. I spilt something on it and it got on the picture, so I took it into the bathrooom and tried to dry the picture above the sink, but Mana thought I was upset and he ran in to help me. He accidentally knocked into me and I dropped the picture into the drain. Mana tried to remove it from the sink, but he couldn't. He tried to apologise, but I was blinded by anger. That photo was the only remaining memory of happiness between my parents. So, I attacked him. Luckily he was stronger than me and he managed to fend me off. When I realised it was an accident and my attack was unjust and cruel, I felt lower than dirt. But instead of kicking me to the curb and leaving me in the midst of my parent's arguments... **_**HE **_**apologised and even gave me his most prized possession: his rare black diamond amulet that he inherited from one of his ancestors who was a renowned magician. Anyway, I did something terrible to someone who was trying to help me". Fluttershy placed a reassuring hoof on my back, "Snow will be okay, and Mana Springs must be a wonderful pony to forgive you and give you something so valuable. It's you and Rose you need to worry about right now, Snow will be looked after by the hospital and Nurse Redheart". Fluttershy was right, Rose was without a mother for the next few days and if I'm not going to support her, who will? "Thank's, Fluttershy. You're a good friend".**

**Snow Sweet's House**

**"Well, here's our house. What do you think?". Fluttershy looked left to right, observing the interior, "It's very nice and cosy". I nodded, "Yeah, that's the look Snow always wanted... would you like some tea?". Fluttershy smiled and nodded, "Thank you". I set Rose on the floor and went into the kitchen to make the drinks. Fluttershy sat next to Rose Sweet and talked to her softly. I placed the kettle on the stove and turned on the gas, before reaching into the cupboards for the tea. I pulled the box out of the cupboard and noticed a small, yellow piece of paper stuck to the box. It read: "Only three left, save me one or else! Snow x". My eyes were stinging and welling up with tears. I blinked roughly to keep the tears from surfacing. "Are you okay?". I turned around and saw Fluttershy standing behind me with a concerned look on her face. "I'll live... wait, where's Rose?". I looked into the living room to find Rose. I found her sat up and chewing on a cushion. I sighed in relief, "Fluttershy, would you be able to keep an eye on Rose?". Fluttershy nodded, "Okay". I went back into the kitchen and continued making the tea. I made Fluttershy a herbal tea and made myself a vanilla coffee; Snow's favourite. I took the drinks into the living room and sat down next to Rose. She babbled happily and reached towards me. I placed my drink on the opposite side of me and picked up Rose, cradling her in my arms. "You're doing very well for your first child, Crimson". I shook my head, "I have no idea what I'm doing, all I know is what Snow told me about". Pressure built up in my throat and tears stung my eyes. "Oh, my. I'm sorry, Crimson". I shook my head, "Don't be. It's not your fault Snow's ill, it's mine. I should of done something". Tears streamed down my face, "It's my fault she's in this state! I'm a terrible pony!". Fluttershy offered to hug me, "Don't try... no doubt I'll hurt you to...". Fluttershy broadened her shoulders, "You're not a bad pony, you're just blaming yourself for something bad that's happened to Snow. Without Snow giving birth and being affected by this condition, you wouldn't be holding Rose right now! Nurse Redheart is a highly skilled nurse and I know Snow is in good hands. You have to toughen up, for Rose AND for Snow, otherwise Snow won't have any support from you and Rose will be without a father as well as a mother!". I lowered my head, "I'm sorry, Rose. You too, Fluttershy. Thing is, I don't even know what's wrong with Snow, nobody'll tell me". I gazed into Rose's eyes, they were sparkling brightly, "I love you, Rose, you're my special little girl. And hopefully mummy will be better soon, and everything will be okay". I stroked Rose's hair gently, her eye's began closing slowly, until she fell asleep in my arm's. I laid her down on the couch softly, careful not to wake her. "It's a good thing you're here Fluttershy". Fluttershy tilted her head, "Why? You handled Rose quite well without my help". I sat back down and faced Fluttershy, "No, with me. I appreciate you calming me down, if I didn't... I don't want to think what would to Rose". My face was still moist with tears, creating an uncomfortable itchy sensation. "It's okay, Crimson. Everybody gets upset, and I know you know Snow will be fine, it's just your subconscious that's creating negative thoughts in your head". I nodded weakly. Fluttershy reached over and brushed a hoof over my eyes to wipe away the tears. "Thank you...". She sat back down and drank her tea quietly. I felt particularly drained, so I leaned back onto the couch and drank a mouthful of my vanilla coffee. It was slightly hot, but I didn't care. I just wondered how Snow was.**

**"How was he?" I asked. "He was upset, I'll leave it at that" replied Nurse Redheart. I hoped he hadn't done anything aggressive. "So, what's the course of treatment for this?". Nurse Redheart sat down near the base of my bed, "There is no course, we just make sure nothing happens to knock or rupture the arteries. This means no contact with anypony or anything that would be strenuous". I nodded, "Okay, so I just sit here and do nothing?". Nurse Redheart sighed, "I'm afraid so". I shrugged, "As long as I live". Nurse Redheart smiled, "It's good to see you have a strong attitude for things like this. I'm afraid your coltfriend wasn't the same". I looked at her, intrigued, "How so?". Nurse Redheart rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "Well, I didn't tell him about the condition, only the fact that he had to take Rose home with him". I nodded, "And how did he react?". Nurse Redheart sighed, "He didn't want to, he tried entering your room until a female Pegasus calmed him down and walked him home. I think her name was Fluttershy". Poor Crimson. "I don't suppose there is anyway I can talk to him and Rose?". Nurse Redheart shook her head slowly, "I'm afraid not, we have to make sure your arteries aren't damaged any further than they already are". I laid back in dissapointment, "I understand". Nurse Redheart stood up, "I'm really sorry, Snow. We just want you to get better and you know, live. I have some other patients to tend to, but I'll be back later. Stay calm, lie down and avoid any strenuous movement". I sighed, "Sure".**

**She looked so peaceful and cute, it actually took my mind off the current situation. "Isn't she wonderful, Fluttershy?" I stroked her mane softly, "Do you have any children?". Fluttershy blushed moderately, "Oh, um, no, I tend to animals, and I'm very good friends with them. Especially my bunny, Angel", she squeaked in shock, "Oh my! I'm sorry, Crimson, I have to go feed Angel, otherwise he get's cranky". I turned to say goodbye to Fluttershy, but she was already leaving through the hallway. I was left alone with Rose Sweet, still sound asleep. "Sleep well, Rose", I leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, she shuffled slightly, before exhaling and laying back down. I walked over to the opposite couch and laid down. "Ow!" something pricked my back, I reached behind me and felt something soft. I pulled it from behind me and held it in front of my face: It was Snow's favourite cushion that she was given as a birthday present from Mana, Candy, Parasol and I. The embroidery spelt: "Happy Birthday, Snow! Love from all of us!". Loving but painful memories came flooding back. Memories of her when she wasn't... dying. The revelation opened the floodgates and I began crying heavily. I buried my face into the cushion, trying to suppress the tears. It was obvious, otherwise I would've been able to go back in, and stay with her and Rose. Rose would be without a mother to raise her, be there for her and be her inspiration. I'd be without her completely, the love of my life taken from me because of me. I should of done something to help instead of running away from her, Rose wouldn't even be able to see her mother one last time. I don't deserve Snow... I don't deserve Rose... why didn't Mana kick me out of his life when he had the chance?** **Rose began stirring and muttering for a moment before falling back asleep. The cushion was now damp, making it hard to breathe. I pulled the cushion away from my face. I looked over to Rose's couch... she wasn't there! I jumped up and looked around the couch, she wasn't anywhere! I felt something pressed down on my foot, I looked down on saw Rose with her front hooves on the sofa, trying to pull herself up. I sighed heavily in relief, pressing down on my chest to try and stop the rapid beating. I reached down and pulled Rose up onto the sofa with me, "Don't scare me like that, Rosie! Daddy can't take much more of that". She simply stared at my face, mouth agape in fascination, "Bah". I held her close to my chest, "Did you sleep well?". Rose held my hoof still and began gnawing on it, making noises similar to "namph-namph-namph". She chewed on my hoof for a few moments before turning her attention to my muzzle. She began reaching for my muzzle, so I lowered myself slightly so she could reach it with her hooves. She held onto it firmly, (without doing much else), before letting go. She noticed a flicker of her mane and began knocking it with her hoof, giggling to herself. I smoothed her mane softly with my hoof, "You hungry, sweetie?". As if on cue, her stomach rumbled lightly, making Rose babble in excitement. I stood up with Rose in my left arm and headed for the kitchen. Rose began creating assorted noises as if she was trying to create a conversation, "Ahb-bah-abah". I found it comforting and it made me feel better. "Oh really?" I replied, somehow Rose found this hilarious and began laughing and babbling in response. I laughed lightly, it's almost as if she was aware of the sadness of the situation. I sat her down on the floor, "Stay there just for a moment, sweetheart". Rose sat still. I followed the instructions on the tin, adding teaspoons, adding water, etcetera. All that was left was to leave it in warm water for a moment or two. I turned back to Rose; she was still sat still. I picked her back up, "Good girl, Rose". Rose gurgled happily in response. I bounced her lightly on my arm, she smiled but didn't create any noises. I held the bottle for a moment, testing it's temperature: It was warm enough for Rose. I picked it up and held it to her muzzle, to which she grabbed onto it firmly with both hooves and began drinking it rapidly. She finished the entire bottle within a minute or so, but she still held the bottle for a while. "You okay, sweetie?", Rose was lightly biting the rubber part of the bottle. She stopped gnawing for a moment and looked up at me with her bright yellow eyes, before continuing to chew the rubber lid nonchalantly. I took her into the living room and sat her down next to me, she was still chewing the bottle lid. "You wanna watch TV, Rose?" I asked. She stared at me blankly for a moment. "Bah". I smiled warmly, "You've got a way with words, kiddo". She giggled in response. I flicked the TV on and put on one of those child-oriented - yet slightly disturbing - cartoon channels. Two poorly 3D rendered characters appeared on-screen, talking about a stolen cake that was intended for the Princess' party. Rose watched it for about five seconds before crying, tossing the bottle across the room for effect. I turned the channel quickly, without realising I put it on **_**my **_**favourite channel: "Anime Airways", a channel filled with 15+ Samurai/Demon/Ninja/Supernatural Street Fighters and the like. Rose stopped crying for a moment, awe-struck at the two samurai's converse and taunt each other about some ancient, all-powerful sword known as "**_**Meiyo to Yuki**_**". Rose continued to watch it for an extended period of time. I walked back to the couch and sat down to Rose. As soon as I sat down she turned and outstretched her arms towards me, to which I reached over and picked her up. She sat quietly on my lap, watching intently as the two warriors unsheathed their blades and held them in a defensive position. I had already seen this episode of "**_**Yukan'na bushi no senshi"**_**, but I left it on to occupy Rose. I felt a buzzing sensation beneath me. I reached between the two cushions and pulled out my phone... the caller ID was Snow Sweet. I swiftly swiped the answer tab across and held it to my ear.**

**"Snow! Are you okay?" asked Crimson, speaking quickly, almost as if in panic. "I'm fine, Crimson. I miss you, though. How is Rose doing?". Crimson exhaled loudly in relief, "Snow, I've been so scared. I thought you were dying, are you okay? What's wrong?". I giggled quietly, "Crimson, I'm not a little filly anymore, I'm a grown mare. This is nothing, I'm just **_**AT RISK **_**of an internal hemorrhage. As long as the-"** **"INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE!? Snow, internal bleeding can kill in minutes! For Celestia's sake, how are you so calm about this?". I sighed, exasperated, "Hon, I'm not dying, I'm gonna be fine. If you had let me finish you would've found out that, A: I'm under constant surveillance by highly-qualified, highly-professional doctors, nurses and marewifes who can stop the bleeding almost instantly, and B: Internal hemorrhages are noticable, did you really think I wouldn't know if I was bleeding?". Crimson remained silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Snow. I just don't want you to leave us, I love you and Rose needs a mother. I'm so worried because of the 'what-ifs'. Like, what if the doctors don't stop the bleeding in time, or what if you're bleeding right now and you don't even know it?", my heart sank. I had never thought of it like that: I **_**could **_**die, leaving Rose motherless. But Nurse Redheart **_**did **_**say that if the bleed is caught early we can counter-act it and... well, what would she do to stop the bleeding? "I love you, Snow. **_**That's **_**why I'm worried so much, I don't want you gone from my life. And Rose loves you too, you're her mother, and it's a living nightmare when you're growing up without a same-gender parent to guide you through it from their experience. How am I supposed to tell Rose how to handle a break-up, or talk to her about marriage, or creating a baby or anything that only a mare would know. I know you're strong willed, and I respect that, but please, for Rose and for me, be careful. I love you, Snow".** **"I love you too, Crimson. Give Rose a kiss from me and make sure she stays fed, warm and goes to bed at a reasonable hour. I'll be home in a few days, I'll try and talk to you before then, if I don't, don't panic, I'm not meant to be talking to you anyway, this counts as '**_**strenuous'**_ **apparently, but I miss you and Rose. I wish you were both her with me. I'm gonna have to go before I get caught. I love you, stay safe. And tell Rose I love her too".** **"Okay, Snow. Be careful, okay?". I swept my hoof across the 'hang-up' tab. I placed my phone on the bedside table and laid back slowly. This sucks. I hate being isolated and alone. I miss cuddling with Crimson and holding Rose. I laid my hooves on my stomach, feeling were my baby once was. I felt a tinge of sadness, wishing I was with the two most important ponies in my life. I turned over and tried to sleep.** **"Agh!" I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. I pressed down on it reflexively, attempting to numb the pain. I heard rushing water. I must've hemorrhaged. I reached for the pager, pain shot through me. I convulsed and smacked the pager across the room, where it cracked and landed on the floor. My vision was darkening, I felt nauseous. My consciousness was fading slowly. I couldn't think straight... help... nurse...**


	6. Episode 6: Snow Sweet's Lament

_**"Hey Snow, uh, if you get the chance, please call back, I've been worried sick. The Nurse won't let me come and visit you and it's really starting to concern me. If you're okay, please call. I love you-**_***click* **_**The other pony has cleared".**_

**Rose was crying loudly for the fifth time in the past few hours. I picked her up and rocked her gently, "Sshh, it's okay, sweetie, just calm down". Rose crying quietened, but she was still sobbing quietly. She had become increasingly clingy and depressed since Snow had to be isolated, and that was four hours ago. Nurse Redheart had came with the supplies, but left quickly when her emergency pager went off, which only intensified my fear for Snow Sweet's health. Rose was holding onto my forearm tightly. She had stopped crying and had her eyes shut. I sat down on the sofa and pulled out my phone with my free hoof. I opened my call log... Snow still hadn't called back, nor had Nurse Redheart. I opened my message box, only one text was in it, it was from Candy. It read: "Crimson, Mana is worried about youout of this state of mind. We'll be coming over soon to check on you. Is Ros, he hasn't heard from you in a few days. I am to to be honest, Snow will be fine, you need to pull yourself e okay?". This was sent twenty minutes ago. I put my phone down and moved my free arm under Rose for extra support. I cradled her gently, holding her close to my chest so I could look at her gentle, innocent face. It made me feel better. She opened her eyes and looked up, her gentle yellow eyes sparkling. I hugged her and kissed her forehead, "What would I have done without you?". She smiled lightly and babbled in response. I laid down and lowered Rose onto the spot next to me. Rose yawned quietly and shut her eyes. I rested my head on the sofa arm and tried to sleep, even though it was a lost cause in this situation.**

**"Where's the damn doctor?" I barked. "I-I dunno, he said he was going to get the blood for the transfusion". I gritted my teeth in anger, "For Celestia's sake, if she continues to bleed for another minute she's gonna die! Get over here and put pressure on her abdomen". The intern shook in fear, pushing my limits. "I said NOW!". He ran over and pressed his hooves on Snow Sweet's abdomen. "Keep it there, I'll get the blood myself". I ran out of the room and darted to the nurse's office. There I found the doctor chatting idly to some interns who were giggling and smiling in a flirtish manner. I ran over and knocked on his shoulder angrily, "Where's the blood!?". He rolled his eyes and showed me the bag without saying anything. I smacked him hard across the face which knocked him onto the floor. "Snow Sweet could've died if I didn't come here, give me that!". I snatched the small, plastic bag from him, "Your lucky I don't bleed you dry to give it to her". I ran back to Snow Sweet's room. Her EKG was lowering steadily, each pulse getting further and further apart. I removed the IV bag and replaced it with the blood bag. The red liquid shot down the nozzle and into Snow's bloodstream. Her pulse rate got higher, but only slightly, she was stable enough. "Good job, Intern. Go tell the surgery to prep the OR for an emergency artery reparation". He nodded and ran out of the room. Snow Sweet coughed weakly, her eyes opened slightly, "D-Don...". I shook my head quickly, "Snow, don't talk, save your strength". My voice was cracking slightly in fear and sadness. "Don't... tell... Crimson", her voice was fading. "S-Snow, don't speak, please. You need all the energy you can muster", my eyes stung. "Heh... I'm, not gonna make it... am I?". I nodded, "You will, just hold on a bit longer! Please, for Rose and Crimson!". She sighed laboriously, "I don't think... they can fix me... I'm on the way out, Nurse... d-don't waste... your time... on me...". I held her hoof gently, "Snow, hold on. We can, it's a simple operation. J-Just hang on a bit longer". She closed her eyes, "Y... you're a... good nurse, Redheart... you've done all you could. Don't... cry-". Snow's EKG flatlined, "S-Snow?". No response.** **"No... No!" I screamed in anger and bitter sorrow. I leapt up and pressed hard on her chest three times, before passing oxygen to Snow Sweet via mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "Where's the surgeon!?". The intern dashed back in, "Surgery is on the way. Oh no...". His eyes widened in panic, "I-I-Is she dead?". I continued to perform CPR, "No! She's NOT dead! I can save her!". He looked down morosely, "Her EKG is flat, Nurse, there's nothing we can do".** **"Shut up..."** **"Nurse Redheart, she's gone"** **"SHUT UP!"** **The surgeon entered the room in a hurry, "Okay, let's get her into the OR- Oh". He looked crestfallen, "I'm sorry". I growled in anger, "She's not dead! We have to get her to the OR, NOW!".** **"Redheart, I-"** **"Stop wasting time! Get her into the OR!"** **The surgeon sighed and ran over to wheel Snow Sweet into the OR. I ran beside him, "Everypony move out the way!". Everyone jumped aside. I shoved the double doors open and entered the Operation Room. I hoisted her off the bed and onto the operating table. The surgical team entered the room, "Nurse Redheart, she has no pulse. This is a lost cause". I screamed in frustration, "So that's it!? You're gonna leave her to die like this? She has a child that she's only held for two minutes! You gonna leave her child motherless? Perform the surgery or I will!". The team ran over to Snow Sweet and positioned themselves for surgery. "Okay... scalpel".**

**I was awoken by a knock on the door. Rose was sleeping sound beside me, breathing lightly. I got up slowly and moved Rose further towards the couch. I walked into the hallway and opened the door; there stood Mana Springs and Candy. Mana Springs smiled nervously, "Uh, hey bro. You okay?". I shrugged coldly, "I don't know. Nopony's telling me anything". Mana backed away slightly, "I-I'm sorry". I shook my head, "Don't be. You're not the reason Snow's dying". Candy placed a hoof on my shoulder, "She's not dying, Crimson. She's fine, I know it. Let's go visit her, that'll clear your mind of your fears". I exhaled deliberately, "Fine. Let me go get Rose".**

**Blackness. That's all I could see. Was I dead? I don't know. Was this Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? Had I died in the hospital? I hope not. Maybe I'm in a coma. All I can hear is warbled voices, they almost sounded demonic. Was Rose okay? Was Crimson keeping it together? Or has he broken down? Again, I don't know. I'm just trapped in my own body, helpless. I hated it. I must've bled out. Crimson won't be happy about that. My mind flashed back to the first day I met him. He was so nervous. He didn't say anything about himself, he just wanted to know about me. He was such a gentleman. Not trying anything funny, unlike Jock who tried it on all the time. He was so repulsive. I'm glad I kicked him to the curb while I had the chance. Then there was our first time together, Crimson was so sweet and caring. He didn't want me as an object, he wanted me as a living, breathing pony. He thinks I'm perfect. Too bad I had to die because of our child. I wasn't mad at Rose for that. She's such a dear, young filly. I loved her to pieces. I just wish I could've had more time with her. Still, even two minutes was enough to know how much I loved her. I still do. I love Rose. I love Crimson. I'm gonna miss so much. Rose's first day at school, her graduation, her first birthday, her first coltfriend, her marriage, she'd have to do it without a mare with experience. Albeit marriage. Crimson and I weren't married, I wish we were. Just me and him and Rose. Our perfect little family. Us three and nopony else. I wonder if I'll be mourned. I might be, by Crimson, Rose, Candy, Mana Springs and Parasol. But other than that I don't know. I just wish I could've seen Rose's face one more time, said my goodbyes to everypony, and have one last kiss from Crimson. That would've been a better way to go.**

**The hospital was slightly cold and had a horrible, bleached stench. It was too clean. Rose was holding onto my neck tightly, as if she was scared. She buried her face into my shoulder. I bobbed her up and down slightly, "It's okay, Rose. I'm here". The receptionist was busy filing her hoof and chewing something. Candy cleared her throat, "Hello, we're here to see Snow Sweet?". The receptionist didn't pay any attention to Candy and continued what she was doing. Mana Springs slammed his hoof on the desk, making the receptionist jump. He smiled as if nothing happened, "Oh, good afternoon. We'd like to see Snow Sweet". The receptionist glared angrily at Mana, who continued to smile defiantly, "Room 3F, third floor". Mana nodded happily, "Thank you". Candy giggled warmly, I found it funny, but my fear and concern over-rided any happy emotion. We entered the elevator, Candy pushed the '3' button. The doors shut and the elevator ascended. Candy pressed up against Mana and nuzzled him affectionately, Mana returned the gesture. I looked away in bitter jealousy. Rose batted at Mana, "Hey, kiddo". Mana grabbed her hoof playfully, Rose laughed happily and pulled her hoof away, before pointing it back at Mana so he'd grab it again. Mana reached out to hold it, but Rose pulled it away, laughing hysterically. Mana and Candy laughed warmly, while all I could do was grimace. Mana rested his hoof on my upper back, "Don't worry, bro. Snow'll be fine". I looked across to see him smiling sympathetically. I forced a weak smile, "Thank you, Mana". The elevator door opened. We walked out into the hallway and looked for Snow Sweet's room. 3D, 3E, 3F! The door was open. I walked over slowly and entered the room. Snow wasn't there, only an intern who was changing some bedsheets that were bloody. My heart sank. The intern turned to look at me, "Oh, are you... Crimson and Rose?". He had a hint of fear in his voice. I nodded, barely able to suppress the tears, "W-Where's Snow?". The intern looked down silently. There was a painful silence. "Where is she? I repeated. He sighed, "She's gone". It felt like a blade had pierced my heart. I dropped to my knees. "No... she can't be. Nurse Redheart said she could save her!", I yelled in sorrow and anger. The intern cowered, "O-Only if she was monitored and it was caught early". My insides burnt furiously. "She wasn't being monitored!? Where the hell was you and Redheart!?".** **"I-I was seeing to another patient and Nurse Redheart was giving you the supplies!", his voice was quivering in fear. Rose began crying loudly. Candy held my shoulder for a brief moment before I shrugged her off roughly, "Don't touch me".** **"I'm sorry for your loss" muttered the intern. I leapt up, "Don't you dare patronise me! If you were doing your job right, Snow wouldn't of died! I'll kill you!" I swung for the intern, but Mana Springs grabbed my arm. "Crimson! It's not his fault! Things like this happen, and beating somepony up isn't going to resolve the issue. It's a good thing Snow isn't alive to see you acting like this, imagine how she'd feel knowing the pony who she loved and trusted her child with was about to assault an intern who tried saving her". I twisted around and shoved Mana Springs up against the wall, "Shut up! Don't talk about Snow like that!". Mana Springs didn't resist, he remained still and didn't try to fight me off. "I've lost her, and now Rose doesn't have a mother! Talk about her again and I'll...", my anger dissolved into sorrow, "I... I'm... sorry, Mana... please, forgive me". I let go of him. "It's okay, Crimson. I understand". I sat onto the bed, Rose still crying in my arms. Candy reached over slowly towards Rose. I didn't object. Candy picked her up slowly, before cradling her and talking to her soothingly. "She's... gone". I buried my head in my hooves and cried uncontrollably.**

**Crimson began crying softly into his hooves. I sat down next to him put an arm over his shoulder, "Crimson, I-I know you're upset, but... now Snow is... gone, you need to take full responsibility for Rose. You need to stay strong, for Rose". Crimson didn't reply, he was still sobbing and shaking. Candy came over and hugged him tightly with one arm, "Come on, hon. You're stronger than this. We're both here for you. You wanna stay with us for a while?". I put both arms around him and hugged him too. I was sad, mortified even, that Snow had died. She had only seen her baby for a few minutes, she deserved better. But Crimson had taken this hard, Snow meant the world to him. It must be like a part of him has been taken away. Rose wriggled free of Candy's grasp and laid down on her front. She pulled herself over to Crimson, before grabbing hold of his arm and hugging it firmly. "Come on, let's get you to our house, Crimson".**

**My mind was numb, my throat was dry, my eyes were burning, my heart was barely beating. Snow was dead. I was alone with a young filly who needed me to stay strong, but I couldn't. Snow was my other half, but now was gone. "Uh, Crimson, we're here". Candy opened the door and pulled me inside. Mana was holding Rose behind me. We entered the living room, "Why don't you lay down, Crimson?". Candy pulled me towards the couch and padded it, "It's pretty comfortable". I laid down on the couch, resting my head on my forearm. Mana sat on the opposite couch, talking quietly to Rose, cradling her in his arms. He looked over to me, smiling, "She's really cute, Crimson". Candy placed a glass of water next to me, "Yeah, she's adorable". I didn't reply, I rolled over and tried to block out everything. I didn't want to see, hear, think or do anything. All I wanted was to have Snow back.**

**I had another flashback. This time was when Candy, Parasol and I went to watch "Sixty Shades Of Bray", one of the first romance films I ever watched. We giggled all the way through, we were just eighteen at the time, all of the themes were still humorous to us. I don't know why I'd think of that memory though. Maybe it's because Rose was conceived the same night Crimson and I watched our first romance film together. He was so embarassed at the sex scene. I thought he would be. Maybe if it was just us two at the time it would've played out different. Maybe. I'd love to see him again soon, if I get to see again at all. Whatever was keeping me alive sure was determined to do it's job. It was doing pretty good. Last thing I heard was my heart stopping. Meh, there's no point keeping me alive. If my heart's stopped then no doubt I'm unrecoverable. I mean, come on, what they gonna do to get my heart going again? All they have is that defibrillator that's only useful for about three minutes after the heart's stopped. Maybe I'm dead, maybe not. I just wish I knew.**

**I sat down next to Mana Springs, he was still talking to Rose. "How you doing, hon?". He looked at me and smiled, "We're fine. She's quite the talker. Not much to say though". I rested my head on his shoulder. He held me affectionately. Rose babbled nonchalantly and started batting at Mana's face, her arm's were too short to reach though. I tickled her stomach playfully, she kicked her legs out and laughed. It was heartwarming to see she was happy. I felt bad for Crimson, though. I will miss Snow Sweet considerably; we've been friends since kindergarten. But she's in a better place now. I don't think Crimson saw it that way. To say he was mortified would be a gross understatement, he was soul-crushed. Hopefully, he'd recover enough to take care of Rose. I hope.**

**I was awoken lightly, "Crimson. Criiiiimssonn...". I looked up. Snow Sweet! I leapt up and hugged her tightly, "Oh, Snow Sweet! Thank Celestia you're alive. I wish I'd never left you alone!". Snow laughed lightly, "Always blaming yourself. It's not your fault I died, you were told to leave. If you didn't you could've been detained and then Rose would be without a mother and a father". I tilted my head, "But, you're not dead. You're right here. I can feel you". She placed a hoof on my face and kissed me softly, "Hon, you have to toughen up. Rose needs a daddy. If you don't, well, that's not fair on Rose, is it?". I held her tightly, "Please, don't leave me again", tears were falling softly. "Crimson, stay strong. Don't give up, okay?", she kissed me softly on the muzzle, "I love you". She slowly dissipated. "No! Wait!".**

**I awoke, startled. It was just a dream. My face was wet with tears. I was sat in complete darkness. Where was Rose? I sat up and looked around the dark living room, I found Rose on the opposite couch, sleeping softly. I got up and went into the kitchen. I flicked the light on. It blared vividly, temporarily blinding me. Once my eyes had adjusted I opened the fridge. I felt sick with hunger and thirst. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I took something. I surveyed the contents of the fridge: Apple Juice, Apple Cider, Cherry Juice, Milk, Cherryade, Appleade, Appleciderade, Orangeade, Equine Dew. I pulled out a 500ml bottle of Equine Dew and placed it on the table. I looked for something easy to put down. They had: Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Cupcakes, Donuts, BLT (Blueberry, Lettuce, Tomato). I took a BLT and a generous slice of Apple Pie. I set it down on the table and ate. My stomach growled intensely, (I hadn't eat in a day or so), as I swiftly ate everything, before taking hearty swigs of the carbonated energy drink. My throat burned slightly from the bubbles but I didn't care, I was incredibly dehydrated. The kitchen light cast a warm glow on an otherwise dark space. It made me feel peaceful. Rose began stirring, she was an incredibly light sleeper. I stood up and opened the fridge, taking out some milk to feed to Rose. I mechanically carried out the process. Milk in bottle, (Candy brought it over from my house), placed bottle in hot water, leave to warm up etc. I was stood over the kitchen counter, resting on my elbows while waiting for the milk to warm. I felt something tug on my leg. I looked down to see Rose clinging to my leg. She knew how to walk!? She smiled playfully and tugged on my leg again, giggling quietly. I bent down to pick her up, "Good girl, Rose! Daddy's so proud of you". I nuzzled her affectionately, to which she laughed happily. For a moment I felt happy. I sat her down on the kitchen counter, "Sit still while daddy get's your milk". Rose stared at me, remaining completely still. I picked up the milk and pressed it against my face, it was warm enough. I picked Rose up and carried her into the living room. I sat down on the couch, holding Rose in one arm and the milk in the other. I held the bottle to Rose's mouth. She grabbed onto it firmly and drank from it slowly. I was intrigued as to why she wasn't drinking as fast as before. Her eyes were shutting, but Rose was trying to resist falling asleep, still drinking from the bottle. I cradled her gently, softly singing the same lullaby my mother sang to me. "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed". Rose stopped drinking from her bottle, only leaving a few drops of milk in the bottle. I continued to rock her gently, "Go now, off to sleep, leave the exciting day behind you. Go now, off to sleep let the joy of Dreamland find you". She shut her eyes and sighed, exhausted. "Hush now, quiet now, lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed". Rose was now fast asleep. I took the bottle and placed it on the floor.** **"You're a good dad". I turned around, Candy was in the doorway, wearing a wooly, pink nightgown. I shrugged, "I try my best. It's what Snow would want". Candy came in and sat down next to me, "Don't be modest, hon. You know you're a great dad. Mana thinks so too. He thinks the world of you, in fact, some days when you too have spent some time together he won't stop talking about you". I smiled, "Mana's a great friend. I can't believe what I did earlier. I can't believe he forgave me, he even went as far as to let me into his house and sleep there. Thank you both by the way for that". Candy smiled warmly, "It's okay. Mana is a great guy, isn't he? Such a gentleman and an all-round good-hearted stallion. I couldn't ask for more. Well, he could spend less time on his Super Pony Something Something System, it drives me crazy with all the mechanical noises. But I love him with all my heart, and I wouldn't leave him for the world". Rose sighed quietly. "She's beautiful, Crimson. Such a cute, young filly. You're gonna have a hard time fighting off all the colts that are trying to be with her when she's older". I laughed softly, "I know. She's adorable. Almost identical to her mother. I love her down to every detail, so any colt or stallion after her is gonna have to work pretty damn hard for her". Candy placed a hoof on my shoulder, "You and Rose are gonna be fine, I promise. You're an excellent father and Rose is a wonderful young filly. Just know me and Mana are here for you, every day of the year, twenty four seven", she hugged me tightly and patted me on the back, "I'm gonna go back to bed, I'm shattered. I just wanted to check up on you and Rose. Good night". She got up and headed for the door, "Good night, Candy". **

**"Gauze". I placed the gauze into the leading surgeon's outstretched hoof. "Redheart, I don't think we can bring Snow back, her heart has stopped for over six hours now, it's hopeless". I remained focused, "Keep your opinions to yourself because I'm not giving up on her". The surgeon sighed, "Okay, the artery is fixed. Close her up". The surgical team sew up the wound and cauterised it, leaving a thin, bright red line. "Okay, defibrillator". The surgical team stared at me quizzically, "Did I stutter? Give me the shock pads". An intern passed me the defibrillator, muttering some offensive comment under his breath. "Blood". The surgeon shook his head, "We ain't got enough as it is, no point wasting it on a cadaver". I twisted round and glared at him, "Don't speak about her like that. She's gonna pull through. What's her blood type?". The doctor lowered his head, embarassed, "O Negative, same as her coltfriend". I smiled in relief, "Me too. Okay, we're making progress. Call Crimson in". An intern piped up, "He's been told Snow has passed when he visited earlier". I smacked my face with my hoof, "You're an embarassment. Call him".**

**My phone buzzed quietly beside me. I picked it up and glanced at the caller ID: Nurse Redheart. I swiped the answer tab, "I've already been told". She growled in frustration, "Jeez, why is everyone so pessimistic. Listen, Crimson, I don't wanna give you false hope but if you come and donate blood with me we could save Snow". I stood up, "Are you messing with me? Is this some sick joke?". She sighed, "Get over here and help me resuscitate your child's mother before I drag you here".**

**I looked across to Snow Sweet's lifeless corpse. It killed me inside to see her like this, "Nurse, if this doesn't work-"** **"Shut up, Crimson". I shut up. "Gimme your arm". I stretched my arm out, Nurse Redheart took hold of it and wrapped a small, white cloth tightly around my forearm, exposing my veins. She injected a needle into a vein and extracted the blood. My vision blurred for a moment before re-adjusting, "Ugh, how much did you get?". She inspected the now full syringe closely, "About 250ml. We need two litres". I shrugged, "Sure, I've got that much to spare". She regarded me empathically, "I've donated 500ml, the hospital has 1.1litres to spare. So we need some more from you, about 150ml is all". I nodded, "Sure, whatever". Nurse Redheart looked down, slightly saddened, "Now, this could give you an iron deficiency, a.k.a anaemia. So you may be hospitalised, is this a term you're willing to put up with?". I nodded again, "Anything for Snow Sweet". She emptied the syringe into a small plastic bag and turned back to me, "You ready?". I nodded. She plunged the needle into me and extracted another 250ml of blood, my vision darkened for a moment. "Just a bit more for luck". She emptied the syringe into the bag again, and readied the nozzle near Snow Sweet's limp arm. She sighed, "Here goes nothing". She inserted the nozzle, then lifted up two shock paddles. "3, 2, 1. Clear!". She discharged the battery into Snow Sweet's chest, she convulsed and then laid back down. "3, 2, 1. Clear!", she shocked Snow again, no better result. Nurse Redheart grimaced, "3! 2! (Screw it) CLEAR!". She shocked Snow Sweet again. The EKG pulsed.** **"We've got a pulse! 3! Clear!" She shocked Snow Sweet once more, the EKG pulsed rapidly. "Crimson! She's alive!".**

**Intense shock pulsed through me, "AAGH! Stop it!". I clutched my chest. Wait, I was alive! "S-Snow?" Crimson was next to my bed, smiling widely. "Yeah, hon?". He lunged and hugged me tightly, "Oh thank Celestia! Snow, I'm so happy you're alive! I missed you!". I was overwhelmed by this, "What? Alive? I was dead? For how long?". Nurse Redheart placed a gentle hoof on my shoulder, "About seven hours". Crimson was still holding on tightly, receiving a lot of electric shock from the currents passing through me. "So, I died?". Nurse Redheart nodded, "Yes, but you're alive now". I hugged Crimson tightly, "I'm sorry for anything I put you through, my love". He was still tightly wrapped around me, "Don't be. You're fine now, don't leave us again, please!". I stroked the back of his head softly, "I won't. Come on, I wanna see my baby". Crimson pulled away slightly, his eyes glistening, "I thought you were gone, I missed you so much". I kissed him softly to comfort him, "I'm here now, my love, and I promise I won't be leaving anytime soon". He smiled and nodded. He returned to the seating are and picked up a sleeping Rose Sweet. I took her in my arms and held her close to my chest. She woke up after a moment and looked up. She smiled excitedly and reached out. I lifted her up and hugged her firmly, happy to be re-united with my family. She held onto my neck tightly and chattered in excitement. I rested her head on my shoulder, "Thank you for sticking with me, Ms. Redheart. If it wasn't for your conviction, I could've actually left the land of the living. Thanks for that". I smiled happily, "You want to hold her?". Redheart shook her head politely, "Thanks, but no thanks, I'm not really an OB/GYN mare. But thank you for asking". Crimson reached behind me and held me firmly, nuzzling my face affectionately, "I'm so happy, you're back with us". Rose laughed happily and mimicked Crimson, trying to nuzzle my neck. **


	7. Episode 7: Reunited At Last (Short)

**Snow Sweet bounced Rose playfully on her knee, Rose was laughing hysterically. "You girls ready to go home?". Snow Sweet looked over to me, still playing with Rose, "Yeah, sure thing, hon. You ready, sweetie?". Rose looked up and smiled, "Aaahh-bah". Snow giggled sweetly, "I understand". I walked over and put an arm around Snow Sweet. She rested her head on my shoulder and held Rose close to the center of us. I stroked Rose's mane softly, "Your daddy's favourite girl, Rose". Snow glanced at me playfully, 'Scuse me?". I nuzzled her gently, "You're my third favourite". She poked me, "Third?". I pulled her closer towards me, our faces only millimetres apart, "You can do something to get bumped up to second". Snow smirked lightly, "I'm sure there is, but what makes you think I'd want to? I'm only third after all". I nuzzled her face slightly, "Playing 'hard to get' isn't your strong point, hon". Rose waved a hoof between us, babbling sternly, like an angry parent who walked in on two teenage ponies about to kiss. I sighed, "Rose bailed you out of this one, don't think you'll be out of it when she's asleep". Snow giggled, "Ooh, I'm shaking". Nurse Redheart walked in, holding a strange metal frame with a strip of fabric stretched across it. "Uh, what's that?" I asked. Nurse Redheart smiled in humour, "It's a carriage, Crimson, it's what you put Rose in when you want to take her outside". I tilted my head, "But, she can walk". Snow pulled my arm, "Crimson, honey, let the nice lady do her job". I shrugged, "She can walk though". Nurse Redheart laughed warmly, "Her walking ability isn't as strong as ours yet, it will develop later in infancy. Here, watch how you open it". She flipped it around for two seconds, causing the frame to morph into a carriage. Snow nodded, "Got it". I gawped, completely hopeless, "Uh, could you do it again?". Nurse Redheart folded the carriage back up, then reopened it in less than two seconds. Snow tried to suppress her laughter, "Why don't you just leave the carriage to me, hon?".**

**The living room was cool and refreshing. Rose began shivering slightly. I picked her up and hugged her tightly, she babbled happily and held on my neck. I wrapped her up in the same wooly blanket she was given on the day of her birth. Snow walked in and folded up the carriage, "Don't help me too fast, Crimson". I put Rose down on the floor before she darted off into the living room. "Sorry, Snow. Here", I took the carriage frame and hoisted it into the stairway cupboard. "Oh, I almost forgot, Nurse Redheart gave us these for Rose", Snow produced three coloured, wooden blocks for Rose to play with. "We'll have to get her some more toys tomorrow, our special little girl deserves some spoiling". Snow smiled happily, "Yeah, that'd be nice". Snow walked into the living room, buffeting me with her tail on the way, "Come on, it's the first time both you and I could fit on the couch together in about a year". I followed her into the living room and laid down on the couch beside her. "Feels good to be home, eh, Crimson?". I nodded, "Now that I've got my two favourite fillies here". Snow inched closer, "Oh yeah, I was in third, wasn't I?". I nodded, smiling tauntingly, "Afraid so, Snow. You're gonna have to do something about it if you wanna be in second place". I moved myself further towards her, "What makes you think I wanna be second? Who is in second anyway?". I shrugged, "Kurasani Oshimoto, my favourite samurai film actress. Why, I thought you didn't care". Snow placed her hooves on my sides, "I don't, jus' wanted to know". I pushed myself fully towards Snow, our bodies only an inch apart, "I don't know, second place is a pretty sweet spot to be in, you can get an awful lotta perks". Snow tilted her head playfully, "Like what? What perks does this Kurasani get?". I shrugged, "A lot, but she doesn't get this", I pushed forward slightly and kissed Snow Sweet. I put my arms around her and pulled her into me, before breaking away only slightly. "I must admit, Crimson, that is a pretty good perk. But why should I do extra for the second place title?". I giggled childishly, "You could **_**do **_**something, I just don't think this is an appropriate time". Snow Sweet blushed brightly, "Crimson! What a thing to say!". I shrugged, "I didn't hear you object to the concept". She smiled deviously, "Well I suppose you're right. But, Rose is right there", she gestured over to Rose who was attacking a wooden block with another wooden block, laughing while doing so. "She won't be later". Snow blushed and giggled, "Where have you picked up such adult conversation, it definitely wasn't here eleven months ago". I shrugged, "I know, I've been bad, I need to be punished". Snow Sweet gasped and giggled in a hushed tone, "Crimson!". I stroked the side of her face gently, making her shiver and sigh in delight. "Oh, wow, Snow. I thought you were the dominant lover in this kind of affair, you're losing your touch". She snapped out of her trance, "Huh? Wha-?". I laughed quietly, "You're so beautiful". She sighed dreamily, "I know". I smiled at her childishness, "Didn't they give you ice-cream at the hospital today?". She nodded, "Yeah, to me and Rose before we left. Why?". I smirked, "What flavour?". She thought for a moment, "Oh, Rainbow Ripple". I nodded, "Is your tongue rainbow coloured?". She smiled in realisation, "I dunno, you wanna check?". I pushed forward and kissed Snow Sweet, running my tongue along the inside of her mouth. She moaned through it, collapsing into oblivion. I pressed against her tongue in a show of dominance, savouring the sweet flavour of the ice-cream and Snow's natural taste, she didn't resist. I broke away after a moment, leaving a thin trail of saliva between us. Snow opened her eyes slowly, "Wow...". I laughed softly, "Glad you think so". Rose appeared behind me, lifting herself up so she could see between us. She somehow acquired my shutter shades, and they were now hanging lazily on her muzzle. I pushed them back up to her eyes slowly, she giggled playfully and grabbed my hoof. Snow reached over and tickled Rose's belly, making her laugh and try and bat Snow's hoof away. I held Rose's back so she wouldn't fall over, "Easy, now, sweetie. Don't wanna fall over". Rose stopped laughing and stuck her tongue out at me mockingly. Snow giggled playfully, Rose copied shortly after. "Hey!". I lifted Rose up from behind me and placed her between us. She laughed happily and made herself comfortable by wriggling from side to side. "Okay, Rose", I pointed to Snow Sweet, "Who's that". Rose stared at me, confused. She pointed to Snow Sweet, "Ah". Snow giggled lightly, "Nearly, now who's that?". Snow pointed to me. Rose thought for a moment, "Bah". I nodded, "Close enough, hon". I kissed the side of her face gently, Rose laughed and imitated me, planting a kiss on Snow Sweet's nose. Snow smiled, "Thank you, sweetie", she kissed Rose on the side of her face, making her giggle. Rose nuzzled me softly, laughing playfully. I hugged her tightly, "Daddy loves you, Rose". Snow tickled her stomach again, "And Mummy loves you to". Rose babbled happily. Rose stood up and climbed over me, lowering herself off the couch and back to the building blocks. I turned back to Snow, "She's such a precious little thing isn't she?". Snow giggled, "She's OUR precious little daughter". I gazed into Snow's eyes, their soft, teal colour making me feel peaceful and relaxed, "Snow?". She smiled, "Yeah, hon?". I nuzzled her gently, "I love you". Snow kissed me softly, "I love you too".**


	8. Episode 8: Motherly Resentment

"Ah, Candy... wait... the apples... explosive", Snow was talking in her sleep again. I rolled over and nudged her, "Snow... stop talking". She shuffled slightly, before continuing, "Stop... cake... hypo-allergenic... fence". I groaned in exasperation, before sitting up in bed. I picked up my phone from the bedside cabinet to check the time: 5.32am. I poked Snow Sweet in the stomach, "Snow! You're gonna wake up Rose!", my voice was in a shrill whisper. She rolled onto her side, "Wah... Crimson... bread... explosions". I held onto her shoulders, shaking her lightly, "Hon, wake up!". She woke with a start, "Wha-? Who?". I sighed, "You were talking in your sleep again". She rolled her heavy, half lidded eyes, "Oh, come on Crimson, not this again. I'm exhausted". I stroked her mane gently, "Fine, go back to sleep. Just don't talk in your sleep again, please?". She smiled and nodded, "Okay, but don't wake me if I do. Just cover your ear's or something". I laughed quietly, "Will do, good night, well, morning, Snow", I kissed her softly. She smiled and made herself comfortable, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. I laid back down. I shut my eyes, before I was re-awoken by a metallic rattle. Snow groaned, "Not it". Damn.  
I walked downstairs shakily, supporting myself on the walls. I noticed a small movement on the door, it looked like the mailslot what being nudged, but not opening. I opened the door, Ditzy the Mailmare was at the door. "Need some help, Miss Ditzy?". She saluted, "Good mornin' sir! It appears that your mailslot is not within mail regulations, I'm afraid I cannot deliver this package until the mailslot is within regulations. Good day". She began walking away. I reached over and grabbed her shoulder, "Wait, wait. I'll just take it now". She nodded, pulling out a small, brown package. I took it and was about to open it, "Wait, sir! You have to sign for it!", she pulled out a small clipboard and handed it to me. I wrote my signature and handed it back, "Thank you, sir! Enjoy your package, sir!". I ripped open the packaging and inside was a small, white box. There was a tag attached to it: "To Crimson, I'm planning on coming by tomorrow, I look forward to seeing this 'Snow Sweet' and of course my grand-daughter, Rose. From Your Mother, Scarlett Dream. (P.S. I suppose I look forward to seeing you too)". My heart sank, "Oh, no. Ms. Ditzy! When was this package sent?". She thought for a moment, her eyes crossing in concentration, "Um, yesterday, we were delayed due to a complication". I slumped to my knees, "Oh no, no, no! No!". My mother was a horrible, soul-sucking unicorn. Even my father left her when I was only three, he was an Earth pony. "Ms. Ditzy? Could you, perhaps, pretend that this package never came, and take it back and destroy it?". She stared at me quizzically, "But, that isn't in my Mailmare Guidebook. It states I need to deliver the package and get a signature". I facehoofed, "Yes, but... nevermind. Carry on". She saluted one more time and flew away into the blue-ish black sky.

Crimson entered the bedroom holding a white box, his face pale. "You okay, hon?". He shook his head slowly, "What's wrong?". He mumbled something unintelligibly, "What did you say, Crimson?". He inhaled, "My... mother is coming over today". I sighed, slightly annoyed, "For Celestia's sake, Crimson! I thought something bad had happened!", he stared at me, his eye's wide with fear. "No, no, you don't understand. MY mother isn't like most mothers. She can crush any signs of hope or enjoyment within a heartbeat. She's like a... a... soul-destroyer machine". I shook my head in disbelief, "I can't believe I woke up for this". He growled angrily, "I'm serious! We can't let Rose be exposed to her!". I laughed, "You make her sound like a murderer". He nodded, "Yeah! A murderer of innocence! I'm not letting Rose near her!". I sighed, "Crimson, don't be so mean to your mother, she raised you, loved you, made you the wonderful stallion you are! It'll be fine". He exhaled in defeat, "I... fine. But don't say I didn't warn you". I smiled happily, "Okay, thank you". I reached out, "You wanna cuddle?". He nodded like an upset infant, "Yes, please". He walked over and laid down next to me, still clutching the small box. I cradled his head in my arms, stroking his mane gently, "You gonna open it?". He shrugged weakly, "I dunno. Don't really wanna". I nudged him, "Open it up, hon. Maybe it's a gift". Slowly he opened the box, inside was a picture of Crimson as a colt, holding a large trophy with a proud smile on his face. There was a small note, "Crimson, here's the last photo I own of you. You might as well have it as it's just taking up space in my house". I was at a loss for words, "Well, uh, at least she was honest". Crimson began sobbing lightly, "Oh, honey, don't cry". I hugged him tightly, "That was the trophy I won in the Sweet Apple Acres 'Labour Games'. I trained day and night for months to be ready for it! And she jus'... DASHED my pride by saying how all the other children were working as equally hard and how horrible I was for being happy that I beat them!". Crimson was now crying into my chest, "Crimson, don't be like that. The 'Labour Games' is an impressive contest to win!". He shook his head, "Tell that to her!". I kissed his head, "Come on, cheer up. I love you! And Rose loves you too! And Mana and Parasol and Candy". He held onto me tightly, "She doesn't!". I sighed in exasperation, "Okay, okay. We'll sort this out tomorrow. Try to sleep okay?". He sniffed and looked up, his dark blue eyes sparkling with moisture, "This may be a weird thing to ask, but... can you... hold me? While I, uh, sleep?". I nodded, "Of course!". He smiled and rested his head on my chest, "Good night, Snow. I love you". I giggled happily, "I love you, too, Crimson".

Knock, knock, knock. I awoke with a jolt, Crimson was curled in a ball, muttering, "Don't be her... don't be her...". I placed a hoof on his shoulder, "Calm down, my love. It'll be okay". Rose was babbling softly, so I went over to her. "You wanna comfort Daddy?". She nodded and gurgled excitedly. I picked her up and placed her in Crimson's arms. Rose stroked his muzzle and talked in a comforting tone. I walked downstairs and opened the door. There stood a red unicorn with a purple, straightened mane. "Hello! You must be Crimson's mother!". She looked me up and down, her eyes making me feel very insecure. "Yes, you must be his love interest, Snow Sweet. Where is my grand-daughter? I hope that Crimson hasn't already dropped her and horribly disfigured her before I have a chance to see her". I laughed nervously, "Ah, hehe, funny. Rose is upstairs with Crimson". Man, this mare was weird. "Crimson, your mother's here!". Crimson yelped, "Agh! Uh, coming!". His mother entered silently, "So I take it this is your house?". I nodded, "Uh, yes, it is. Do you like the interior? I kinda wanted it to have a nice, warm and comforting feeling". She scoffed, "Well, if a droll design and an un-coordinated layout is what you would call 'comforting and warm' then I suppose so". My mood dropped considerably, "Um, would you like some herbal tea?". She glanced across, "You'll have to be more specific, Ms. Snow Sweet". I smiled nervously, "S-Sorry, I have Oolong, Chai, Mint, Thistle, Nettle, Lavender. Any there you like?". She exhaled, "Well if I am to be reduced to such a pitiful and bland selection I suppose I'll have an Oolong tea". Oh my. I creeped into the kitchen, before beginning the process to make the tea. Crimson came downstairs holding Rose, "Uh, hello, M-Mother. How are you?". She scoffed, "Oh, and here he finally is. I should've expected you to be late, as always. Even before you were born you were three weeks late before I birthed you. I assume this is my grand-daughter". Crimson was frozen in fear, his mouth slightly open as if he was about to speak. His mother tutted and took Rose from him, "So unorthodox, I hope your daughter doesn't pick up any of your traits". I had a burning desire to run in there, pick her up by the scruff of her neck and throw her all the way to Canterlot, but I couldn't. The tea was finished, so I walked in and offered it to her. She took it and drank a small amount. She tasted it for a moment, before handing it back to me. "It's too sweet. I can't drink it". I was awestruck but enraged, "I, it's... too... sweet?". I gritted my teeth in anger, but then composed myself. "Oh, okay. My apologies, Ms.-". She interrupted me by waving her hoof, "My name is Scarlett Dream, do not call me Scarlett as an informality as I resent informality. Refer to me as my full name or not at all. Do sit down". Crimson was already sat on the opposite couch, biting his hoof in fear. I stroked his arm comfortingly. "So, Crimson". He squeaked and sat up fully, "Y-Yes, Mother?". She sighed exasperatedly, "Do not stutter, Crimson, you know I loathe stuttering. Almost as much as I loathe that colt who stuttered all the time. You used to loiter with him". Crimson shuffled his hooves, "Uh, his name was Dusty and he had a speech impediment". She scoffed, "Oh spare me the 'speech impediment' sentiment. His parent's obviously didn't raise him correctly. Regardless, I am brought back to my original initiation of conversation. Since you have created a child I take it that you are to wed Snow Sweet to fit the appropriate protocol for procreational laws?". Crimson blushed, "Well, uh, I don't know, I, ah, *squeak*, agh...". I held his hoof comfortingly, "I think he means yes". She looked up and glared at me, "Next time let him finish his own sentence, Ms. Snow Sweet. He has to learn correct lingual structure at some point". Crimson looked down and scowled, his eyes reddening. "So, Ms. Snow Sweet. I take it since you were able to conceive and Crimson was able to impregnate that both of your reproductive organs are functioning correctly?". I gasped, Crimson's face flushed red, "Well, I, uh, I suppose so. Why do you ask?". She shrugged, "I was just wondering if I could be expecting multiple grandchildren, I hypothesised that if there were multiple offsprings that I could teach, there would be a greater chance that Crimson's and your bloodstream would be in an acceptable condition, as you can see a mistake was made when Crimson was created due to his constant need for, ugh, acceptance, affection and all the other vestigial forms of gratification". Crimson covered his face in embarassment, "Well I find that acceptance and affection are what motivates us, if we're accepted then we are more comfortable and aren't hindered by the thought of being an outcast. Affection and love can be a great help, it gives us somepony to cherish. Crimson and I love each other unconditionally, and with it we can overcome anything! Our friends Mana Springs and Candy would agree with us on that subject". Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Oh, how gravely mistaken you are. Affection and acceptance are not needed to thrive. I am a well-respected tutor in Canterlot, at the top of my rank for Magical Studies, and I managed all this while in an orphanage. As for love, well, the only thing I have loved is knowledge. Although I may have been fond of Crimson Dream's father I did not love him, as attachment would ultimately distract me from my career. And where would I be then? I'd be in a hovel in a run-down town like Ponyville, working and working, day in and day out just to make a few bits. A prime example would be Crimson Dream. He 'fell in love' with you, and now look where he is: he is a labourer, performing strenuous tasks for ponies who are too lazy to do it themselves. And what does he have to show for it? Well, he's living in a slum with his 'love' and a baby, because he couldn't control his cardinal emotions and ended up performing marital affairs with you before he had a stable career". My anger exploded, "Look, Scarlett. Crimson has a fine job, he can provide more than enough for me and Rose. He didn't fall in love with me, WE fell in love with eachother. And he didn't lose control of his cardinal emotions, he showed his love for me in an intimate manner, that's why it's called lovemaking. Now if you can't realise that, then there is really no point of talking about it as you are clearly clueless about the matter". Scarlett sat in silence, Rose wriggling in her arms. Rose broke free and fell onto Scarlett's lap, then she got down from the couch. She looked up at me and smiled, reaching out. "Mama". I was stunned, Crimson was staring at Rose. "W-What did you say, Rose?". She reached out again, "Mama!". I beamed excitedly, "Crimson! H-Her first word!". I reached down and picked Rose up, hugging her tightly, "Good girl, Rose! Mama's so proud of you!". Crimson hugged us both affectionately. Crimson and I looked over to Scarlett's position, she was gone. "Crimson, are you okay?". He grinned, "I feel great. Rose said her first words!".

Crimson and Rose were playing and laughing in the living room, while I was in the kitchen fiddling with my new phone, the Lunar Galaxy L3 or whatever it was called. I was quite acquainted with touchscreen technology but I didn't understand all of this PonyDroid nonsense with the connections and widgets and apps and everything. The screen flickered and moved erratically, "Ugh! Crimson! Modern technology isn't my strong point right now!". Crimson laughed, "One second, I'm coming". He picked up Rose and walked into the kitchen, "What's wrong, love?". I pointed to my phone begrudgingly, "The accursed phone is annoying me". Crimson took the phone, moved his hoof across the screen a few times and handed me it back, "It's simple: Apps have to be opened to be used/played with, Widgets are just for displays like weather or the news etc. and to call someone, press this little phone icon and type in the number. Easy". I nodded, "Okay... how do I play Canterlot Racing 3?". He reached his hoof over and pointed to the icon. I tapped it, the screen blackened, then reanimated, displaying the main menu, "The future's cool!". Crimson chuckled, "Yeah, it's even better when you don't have to pay four hundred bits for it". I kissed him on the muzzle, "It's an awesome present, thank you very much for it". Rose was biting down on her hoof, making strange chewing noises. "I think she's hungry, Crimson". He smiled warmly and pulled a bottle of milk out the fridge, before handing it to Rose. Rose took it and drank it slowly, before stopping and placing the milk on the table. There was still three quarters left, "Are you sure you don't want the rest?". Rose's stomach rumbled loudly, making her stare at her stomach in amazement. "Try giving her the milk again", Crimson held the bottle near her mouth again, but she grunted derisively and turned her head. This made Crimson worry, I could see it in his eyes, they always went wide, "Snow... w-what do I do?". I placed my hoof on top of his assuringly, "Don't worry, hon. She'll be fine". Crimson shut his eyes, I hoped he wasn't crying. "Crimson, look at me".

Snow held my hoof gently, I looked up at her, "Crimson. Don't get so upset, hon. She's just not hungry. She is fine". I looked back down to Rose, she looked a bit pale, "Snow, she's pale". Snow took Rose from my arms, "Crimson, I know you love Rose very much, but she's going to be fine. Sit down I'll make you some tea". I obeyed, pulling up a small wooden barstool and sitting down. Rose was acting frightenly quiet, "Snow? Can I please hold Rose?". Snow looked at Rose, then nodded reluctanctly, "Okay, just don't get all worked up, okay?". I nodded. Snow offered Rose to me, I took her in my arms and held her close. She was still pale and completely silent, "Rose?". Rose didn't respond in any way, "Rose, look at Daddy". She turned her head slowly and gazed up at me, still silent. I held her closer to me to warm her up, "Snow, what could've caused this? She was fine a few minutes ago". Snow placed a small white mug in front of me, "Maybe she's just tired". I pressed my hoof on her forehead, she was slightly colder than usual, "I don't know how this could've came on so quickly. We should take her to Nurse Redheart". Snow exhaled, "Crimson, stop panicking. She's fine, she may just be a bit off today. You would be too if you were just being rough and tumble with someone three times your size. Just forget the concept of her being ill and relax". I shook my head, "No, I'm not letting this slide. I'm going to get her checked out". I stood up and headed for the door, "Crimson, wait! It's about 7pm it's nearly Rose's bedtime. Just get her a good nights rest, she'll be fine". I put on my workjacket and wrapped Rose up with the woolen blanket from her birth, "Snow, stop being so relaxed about this, it's getting on my nerves. I'm worried about Rose and I'm going to the hospital to get her checked up on". I opened the door, "Crimson! Can you stop and listen to me? She is fine! She's not ill, don't snap at me!". I shut the door regardless, "Screw it, I'm getting Rose checked out".

What on earth was that about? Rose IS fine! What is his problem lately? I growled audibly, "Fine, ignore me! Ignore your girlfriend and mother of your child, what does she know?". I stormed back into the kitchen, full of anger, "What a bloody hypochondriac, walking out in the middle of a conversation. How bloody dare he!?". I turned my phone back on, the phone I was becoming increasingly frustrated with. I opened up my Contacts and rang Candy.

"All I'm saying is that vampires shouldn't sparkle, Candy! They're bloodsucking killing machines not touchy-feely, oestrogen-fuelled ladies". I giggled, "So what? They're hot! They could give you a run for your money in a competition for my love. (Oh, Night Breaker, you could bite me anyday)". Mana facehoofed, "Oh, that's just sad". I laughed and kissed him playfully, "Don't be jealous, hon. They're just so sexy in their tight clothes and emotions... Ooooh they make me feel fuzzy just thinking about it". My phone began blaring out the theme to Night Love: The Vampire Diaries, making Mana groan woefully, "I miss the vampires that killed ponies after they drank their blood". He walked out of the room, muttering unintelligebly. I picked up my phone and pressed 'answer'. Hm, it was Snow, "Hey, Snow! How are you?". Snow exhaled frustratedly down the phone, "Not good if I'm honest. Crimson's just stormed out to the hospital because he thinks Rose is ill. She was just a tad pale and not drinking I hardly think that's a reason to see a marewife. Can you come over or something?". Poor Crimson. As sweet as he was he could be a hypochondriac sometimes, but... illness can be fatal in babies. It could lead to... I didn't even want to think about what would happen. "Well, sweetie, even though it may not seem like she's ill, Crimson still has a right to be worried about his daughter. Maybe you're right, maybe she's just a bit off or something. Just don't get banged up about it, okay?". Silence. Mana came back into the kitchen, looking confused. "What's wrong?" he whispered. I raised my hoof as a "one minute" gesture. Snow finally responded with a huff, "Fine. But Rose is fine. And there was no need for Crimson to storm out on me". I began walking towards the door, "Good, Mana and I will still come over and help you sort this out, okay? In the meantime just... break out some wine or something. We'll be there in five".

I walked over to the reception, "Hello, can I see Nurse Redheart please?". The receptionist glanced at me, then picked up a small black box laboriously as if in a strop. My patience was running thin and I was close to punching someone, "Look, I can't be bothered with your three-year-old stroppy movements that are used to try and get to me for making you do your job. Now, get Redheart or else I'm gonna jump over this counter and make you page her". The receptionist picked up speed and pressed a button, hopefully which would page Nurse Redheart. I looked down to Rose, she was becoming increasingly pale and sickly. "Rose. Look at me. Look at me, Rose", she didn't respond, she just exhaled laboriously. Nurse Redheart came through some plasticky double doors, "Oh, hello, Crimson. Where's Snow Sweet?". I grunted, "Don't ask. Could you please take a look at Rose? She looks ill and I'm quite worried". Nurse Redheart nodded, "Follow me to the examination room".

I poured myself yet another glass of wine. Grr! Crimson has really pushed me today. First collapsing at the sight of his mother, not even trying to defend me. Then he gets all up and worried because Rose is a little pale! Ha! Some boyfriend he is. Three knocks came from the door, probably Candy and Mana. I walked to the door, stumbling some, and opened up. "Hey, you two. Come on in". Candy and Mana entered the house, "Hey, hon. How you holding up?". Mana didn't say anything, he just shuffled nervously, "Not much of a talker, eh, Mana? I'm fine, Candy, just a little angry. Want some wine?". Candy nodded, "Very much". I walked back into the kitchen, grabbed the bottle and another wine glass, then re-entered the living room. Mana sat down and pulled out his phone, casually swiping across the screen. I ignored him. I handed Candy a glass and filled it halfway, "So, Snow. Tell me what's up". I grunted derisively, "Nothing much, just my bastard of a boyfriend is more of a mare than I am. First, his mother comes today, mocks my house, my job, my daughter and bloodline. What does he do? Nothing. He just sits there! Silent and teary because he never learned to stand up to her! THEN he looks at Rose, thinks she's ill and then snaps at me and runs off to the hospital. How was your day?". Mana put his phone down deliberately, "Wait, Snow! That's my friend you're ripping into! So what if he's 'scared' of his mother? I've seen her! She's nothing but a soul-destroying machine of pure hatred and resentment! I'M scared of her! And as for Rose, he's just being a good dad, Snow. It's okay to be frightened for your child". I turned, anger welling through me, "I knew you'd take his side. Try having a kid and you'll know what it's like to have an overly-attached partner who never stops worrying about the tiniest thing!". Mana scowled, "I don't care, he's my friend! He has every right to worry anyway! He's Rose's dad! Get off his back!". Candy put her hoof on my back, "Snow, calm down. Mana, you're not helping". Mana rolled his eyes and went back to his phone, "Snow, come sit with me". I nodded and sat next to Candy, "Great, now there's two against me. You gonna join them too?". Candy took my wine glass from me, "Alcohol always makes you defensive. Look, Snow. Neither of you are in the wrong. Yes, Crimson may be a bit overly-worried at things at times, but that's only because he loves you both dearly. You should've seen the state he was in when you were comatose. He was a shadow of his self: depressed, pessimistic and cold. Then when you were brought back from the brink of death, he couldn't be happier! For the benefit of your two's relationship, please let this slide?". I sighed, "I don't know, Candy. I honestly don't know what to do".

Nurse Redheart took Rose Sweet from me and laid her down onto a gurney adorned with hygienic paper. "S-So, what's the deal? Is she okay?', Nurse Redheart pulled out a pen-shaped light and opened Rose's eyes. "I'm not sure yet, she does look pale and uncharacteristically quiet", she shone the light in Rose's eyes. "What are you doing that for? What's wrong?". Nurse Redheart stopped, looking slightly worried, and did the same on the other eye. "Um, Crimson... has anyone came in contact with Rose other than you or Snow Sweet?". I nodded, even though Redheart was turned away from me, "Y-Yes, why? What's wrong?". Nurse Redheart hung her head, "Did they have any strange items on them? Like an allergic substance?". My mother, "I don't know, my mother often wears this weird perfume that has some weird herb in it from the Everfree Forest. I think it's something like a flower of some sort". Nurse Redheart walked to her desk, offering Rose to me, "It would be assumed that she iss allergic to the Everfree Mistbloom and is suffering from flu-like symptoms. I'll give her a shot to relieve the symptoms... but... there is something else wrong with her... she has... esotropia". I held Rose close to me, "What the hell is that, Redheart!?". Nurse Redheart hung her head again, "Her eyes aren't able to focus. As a brutal comparison... do you know a young mailmare known as Ditzy Doo?". I nodded, reminiscent of her wall-eyes, "Well, Rose has the same condition as her. Now don't panic, it is not life-threatening, it's just that she may not be able to see completely straight. Her vision will remain mostly unimpaired". My heart sank, "But, why hasn't this been present before? Why haven't I seen this?". Nurse Redheart pulled a syringe from a drawer, "Because she has been resisting it, but since she has become ill she is too weak to resist any longer and has given up". My dislike towards my mother transmuted into a white-hot abhorrence. But this was no time for ripping into someone. I guess Snow needed to know about this, "Nurse, please give her the shot. I need to get her home..."

I can't believe Snow, ripping into Crimson like that! I don't even care if she's Candy's best friend, if Candy didn't shut her up I would've! I hope Rose was okay, some mother she is for not even accompanying her daughter to the hospital for a check-up. I hope Crimson was okay too. The hell with Snow. I sent a text to Crimson: "Hurry home, Crimson. Snow's playing the whole sob story card and is trying to turn Candy against you. I don't believe her though. Is Rose okay?". I put my phone away, semi-eavesdropping on their conversation...

... Playing the whole sob story card and trying to turn Candy against you... What? Snow wouldn't do that would she? But, Mana would never lie to me or instigate a situation. I picked up speed, quickly closing the distance to Snow Sweet's... our house.

The door clicked and opened, in came Crimson holding Rose in his arm. "Hey, Snow". Snow scowled, "Hey? That's it? What the hell is your problem storming out like that and snapping at me? Huh? Answer me!", Crimson was clearly stunned, his eyes wide in shock. Mana was obviously nervous, gingerly covering his face with his hooves. "I didn't snap at you, I was just worried for Rose's health and wellbeing because her mother never is! And as it turns out, she was! She had an allergic reaction to my mother's perfume, Redheart said that the Everfree Mistbloom had something to do with it". Rose wriggled nervously, so Crimson put her down on the floor, where she then ran up to me and outstretched her arms to be held. I took hold of her and held her close to me. Snow grunted aggresively, "So you're mother caused this? Wow, so not only does she crush your life, she's ruined our daughter's too. Great job standing up to her by the way, your pathetic whimpering and tears proved a really good point". I didn't like this, I felt incredibly awkward being in the midst of a fight, "Buck you, Snow! What's your problem, I dropped the previous events in hope of resolving this matter, but you had to drag our friends into this! You're such a bloody catalyst!". Snow squared up to Crimson, yelling in his face, "My problem!? That's rich coming from the colt who broke down in the face of loss, almost abandoning Rose because you thought I died! It's a good thing I didn't, otherwise Rose would've had to put up with a pathetic husk of a colt who I thought I could rely on. YOU'RE PATHETIC, CRIMSON!", (Snow was yelling incredibly loud), "You can't stand up to your mother! You can't remain calm in the face of loss and YOU CAN'T EVEN SHOW THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF INTEGRITY WHEN YOU'RE DAUGHTER COMES DOWN WITH A SMALL ILLNESS! All you do is burst into tears and run from the situation like the little coward you are". Crimson remained silent... Mana was staring at Snow, awestruck... Rose held onto me tightly in fear. "Well!? Say something! You gonna cry? - Again!?", Snow pushed him roughly, making him stumble backwards and crashed against the door, causing him to fall to the floor in pain. Mana growled and stood up, arching his back, "Leave him alone". Crimson stood back up, "Mana... sit down...", his voice was a weakened mutter. "You're pathetic, Crimson. You know what... we're through. Just get out". Crimson looked up, tears welling in his eyes, "B-but, Snow... I... I love you, I don't want to lose you, please can we talk about this?". Snow shook her head, "You've said enough. Just... get your stuff and go". I stood up, "W-Wait, Snow, think about this. Let's just calm down and think about this". Mana bolted up too, "Wait, Snow, don't. Look I know you're angry now but this'll pass. You two can get through this. Think about Rose too, she won't be able to grow up with her mom and dad together". Snow sighed, "No. I... I've thought this through. I want you gone, Crimson. Now".


	9. Epilogue (Episode 9): Goodbyes

I threw my work apparel and few personal belongings into my duffel bag. As a travelling labourer I was always packing light. "I want you gone, Crimson. Now". Snow Sweet... wanted me gone. Gone. Just... gone. I thought she loved me. I thought we were doing great and this was just a stupid and superficial argument. How did it end up like this? My eyes were stinging, my heart was barely beating and my head was throbbing. "You're pathetic, Crimson". I thought I was going to cry, but I just felt too numb to do so. "Crimson? You okay?", I turned around, in the doorway was Mana holding Rose. I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it. Mana walked over with Rose and sat beside me, "Heh, Rose has something to say to you", he put Rose on the floor, she clambered onto my knees and giggled, "Daddy!". It made me smile, even if only a little, "Good girl, Rose. Daddy is so proud of you". I lifted her up and hugged her tightly, "I'm afraid Daddy's got to go now, Rose. And even though Mommy doesn't love Daddy anymore that doesn't mean we don't love you. Heh, I don't even know why I'm telling you this, it's probably in hope you'll remember this when you're older and I'm gone from your life". My eyes burnt as acidic tears fell, "Daddy loves you Rose. So very, very much", I hugged her tightly, stroking her soft and wispy mane. She babbled comfortingly, "Crimson, what do you mean 'gone from your life?'. Are... are you thinking of leaving Ponyville?". I put Rose down, "Yes, Mana. I think it'd be best for Rose and Snow. She's right you know... I am pathetic. I always cry and run from trouble. I'm doing it right now". Mana placed a hoof on my shoulder, "Look, bro, don't take this the wrong way but... screw Snow! Rose is your daughter to, dammit!". I shook my head, I'm sorry, Mana. As evil as you think she is... I still love her. And if I saw her in the arms of another stallion... I think that I'd probably be compelled to finish myself. At least if I die elsewhere, Rose won't know and won't be affected". Mana hugged me firmly, "Don't go, bro. I don't want you to!", his voice was cracking with sadness. "Don't cry for me, Mana. I don't deserve you. I attacked you twice and treated you like dirt. You'll find someone better to be your bestfriend". I could feel Mana crying into my shoulder, "I-I'm gonna, miss you, Crimson". I nodded, "I'll miss you too, Mana. But, I don't deserve you. I need to go, otherwise I'm just a burden on Rose, Snow, Parasol and you. Damn near everypony". Mana pulled away and stood up, "At least let me call Parasol too to say goodbye". I shook my head, "She doesn't need the drama". Mana stomped his hooves angrily, "It's not fair! You did everything for her! You couldn't do enough for her!". I picked up Rose and put on my duffel bag, "If you want you can come with me to the train station, I'll buy you a coffee on the way.

I walked downstairs, the only noise was Snow and Candy quietly talking in the living room. They must've heard my hoofsteps as they silenced and walked into the hallway. I opened the door, "Goodbye, everypony". Mana stepped forward, "Please... don't Crimson. Don't leave Ponyville", Candy gasped, "You're leaving Ponyville? Leaving Snow alone with Rose?". I glanced at Snow, she looked down, "I think it would be better that way, Candy. We both do". Rose walked towards me and reached up desperately, seemingly aware that I was leaving. I lifted her up and hugged her tightly, "Daddy loves you Rose. I love you so, so much". I tried to fight back the tears, but failed. Candy saw this and began welling up too, "Snow... please think about this. Crimson is the father of your child and he has every right to see his daughter". Snow scowled, "For bucks sake are you seriously taking his side now? I thought you were my friend!". I smiled weakly at Candy, "Thank you, but Snow is right, you're her friend, not mine, and you need to be there for her and not me". Candy nodded slowly, her eyes reddened. Mana walked out the door, "I'll get you to the train station, Crimson. We can say our goodbyes then". Rose was sobbing lightly into my arm, I knelt down and stood her up, "Don't cry, hon. This is what is best for you. Never forget how much I love you, because I always will", I kissed her gently on the forehead, "Daddy's gonna miss you". I stood up and tried to hand her to Snow, but Rose was holding on tightly to my neck. It didn't take much effort to pry her off. Snow took her in her arms but Rose still tried reaching for me, crying while doing so. I stepped outside before turning around, "I'll, uh, send money whenever I can to support Rose. I guess... goodbye". I reached out to hug Snow, but she just closed the door on me. I let my arms drop to the floor before turning back to Mana, "Let's go. I owe you a coffee".

I don't want him to go. He shouldn't be caving in to her! I was furious, fuelled by hatred and resentment. How bloody dare she!? "So, Mana, how's your magic training going?", Crimson forced a weak smile as we walked through the barren town. The late-evening air was freezing cold, but I hardly felt it, "Uh, not too bad. I've finally perfected portals and teleportation. Shield breaking too". Crimson smiled genuinely and nodded, "Good to know. You were awesome at magic, even in school. Heh, remember when you accidentally turned Cherilee's pet cat into a wolf during Show-and-Tell?", I felt a bit warmer in recollection, "Yeah... it was a good day". We reached the train station, it was quite open and unprotected from the weather, but it had a few homey shops on the promenade. Crimson gestured to the coffee shop, "Hazelnut Espresso, right?". I forced a smile, "I-I'll just have what you're having". I sat down on a cold steel chair outside as Crimson entered the cafe. He would be gone in less than twenty minutes because of her. Why couldn't he be more assertive with her? He... I shook my head. No point thinking about different scenarios. I just can't believe he's gonna be gone. I suppose I could visit him in Canterlot. Even if the train tickets are about 300 bits per pony. Yeah, sure, I earn about 50 bits per week as a magic student. Crimson came out holding two mugs of coffee, each with a premium logo on the front. "Crimson, don't they cost about ten bits each just for the mug alone?", Crimson nodded, "I thought you and Candy deserved a little present. I'll of course have them cleaned first. I know it's not much but it's something". I drank mine slowly, the cold air already cooling it down, "Thanks for the present, Crimson. Genuinely, bro". Crimson smiled lightly, "So, are you and Candy thinking of a child or marriage yet?". I coughed up some of the coffee in shock, Crimson laughed warmly at this, "Sorry, bro. Just trying to make conversation". I wiped my mouth gingerly, "Uh, well, I don't know. I'm not really in the mood to propose to her or try for a child. If we do... I can name it after you in your honour". Crimson smiled, "I'd be honoured if you did, but you don't have to. 'Crimson' doesn't sound as fitting with 'Springs' or 'Candy'. If you want... I could pay for your train ticket when I get the money and you could visit". I nodded, "I'd love to visit, but what about Rose?". Crimson hung his head, "Rose wouldn't want a coward daddy who can't even hang onto a real job. I'm a travelling labourer for Celestia's sake, getting paid doing petty slave work. Is that something that you'd be proud to say to your friends? 'Oh hey, Rose, what does your dad do for a living?', 'Oh, he just goes around doing little jobs getting paid about 15 bits for it'. She'd be better off with me gone", Crimson looked up, "Could... could you maybe be her... kind of surrogate dad? Just to make sure Snow's new boyfriend or husband doesn't try to make her like his own?". I nodded eagerly, "Definitely, no stallion is gonna defect Rose on my watch. Hell, I'll even take her on the weekends, show her all the cool stuff her dad liked. Nopony is gonna take Rose as his own other than you". Crimson smiled warmly behind teary eyes, "Thanks, Mana. I knew I could count on you. Say, I still have that black diamond necklace. Do you want it back?". I shook my head, "No way, keep it as a memento of me". Crimson pulled it from his duffel bag, "I'm glad you say that, but, do you think you could give it to Rose, as a memento of you to her, as her surrogate father", the necklace was shiny, polished and clearly taken care of, "I just want her to have something from me, so a part of me is still with her". I reached out reluctantly and took it, "A-Are you sure?". Crimson nodded, "If that's okay with you". I tied it around my neck to carry it, it filled me with warmth and happiness like a fond memory. "Anyway, I'd better get on my train, it departs soon". I stood up silently, I had nothing left to say.

"Train 15 to Canterlot Station is departing in seven minutes. Train 15 is currently stationed in Dock 4", the loudspeaker was blaring a strange, muffled voice. Mana and I stood by the train, waiting for the doors to open. "Look, Crimson, I know I've said it before... but please don't leave", Mana spoke in a broken, crestfallen tone. "I'm sorry, Mana... but it's best for everyone. Even now all I'm doing is making all my loved ones cry. You, Candy, Rose... I'm just a burden". I adjusted my duffel bag so it hung from the left. "Train 15 to Canterlot Station is now boarding. Train 15 departs in five minutes". I turned to Mana and outstretched my hoof, "It's time to say goodbye for real. I-*oof*, I was knocked onto my back by a yellow pegasus. Parasol. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Crimson!? You're not leaving Ponyville!", her face was in a scowl. "Parasol... let me go", she shook her head, "No, Crimson! You're not leaving Ponyville. I don't care what you're reason is, you need to stay here! What about Rose? What about me and Mana? Don't you care about us?". I nodded, "I care about you all, that's why I have to leave. If I stay here, my feelings will get the best of me if I see Snow with another stallion... or if I see Rose become attached to Snow's new boyfriend or stallion. Do you know what it feels like to see someone you love and cherish be with somepony else? Can you imagine how much it would hurt if you saw your own child become attached to somepony other than you? I don't want to see that happen, Parasol. I don't. Now please... let me go", Parasol forced her eyes shut, a teardrop trickling down her cheek, "You... you... stupid... stupid... stupid feeling-having... thing. I don't want you to go, Crimson. I-I won't let you!". "Train 15 is departing in two minutes, all aboard who is travelling on Train 15 to Canterlot Station", I gently broke free of Parasol's grip, "I'm sorry". Parasol let go and stood next to Mana. I stood back up, "How are you even supposed to afford a train ticket to Canterlot? They're really expensive!". I nodded and pulled out a large coinsack, "I've been saving up for a while... I was gonna... propose to Snow". Parasol looked down, "No...". Mana put his arm around Parasol comfortingly, "I know. It's disgusting what she did. I don't know how you can still have feelings for her Crimson". I laughed shortly, "Well, that's just me, Mana".

I turned away and reluctantly entered the train, dropping the entire coinsack into the conductor's hoof, "I love you both, you two and Rose mean the world to me. But I have to go, so, uh... bye". "Train 15 to Canterlot Station is now departing. Next train arrives in thirty minutes". The hydraulic doors shut with a loud hiss while Parasol buried her head in Mana's shoulder and cried profusely, Mana forced a weak smile through oncoming tears and waved. I smiled assuringly and waved back while the train slowly chugged out of the station, taking me away from Ponyville and all my friends and family. I continued waving until Mana and Parasol disappeared from sight. I let out a pained sigh, "Bye guys". I turned around and looked for a seat, the entire cabin was almost empty, save for one gray/blonde pegasus sitting in a four-seat cabin, staring out the window.

I walked over to her, "Um, may I sit here?". She didn't even glance at me, "Sure, why not?", she spoke in a quiet, depressed tone. I sat on the double-seat opposite to her, "Are you okay, miss? You don't have to answer if you don't want to". She smiled lightly, "I'm at an all time low, but thanks for your concern. You heading to Canterlot too?". I nodded, "Yeah. Why are you 'at an all time low' if you don't mind me asking?". She sat up and faced me, wait... "M-Miss Ditzy?". She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, hey, Crimson". I felt quite happy to be in the presence of a friend, but I knew it would be short-lived, "Sorry, I didn't notice you. What's wrong, Miss Ditzy?". She rested her head on her hoof and gazed out the window, "Just call me Ditzy, Crimson, I like it better than all the other names someponies have chosen to call me. Derpy, Derpy Hooves, Spaz, Retard, Freak, you know, the usual". I tilted my head, "Who calls you that?". Ditzy shut her eyes, "Almost everypony who I deliver mail to. Well, deliver-ed, me and my daughter are moving to Canterlot to escape Ponyville and it's prejudice population". Tears were forming in her eyelids, "Why must ponies be this way. Can't we all just get along? Being horrible gets you nowhere, it just shows how much of a horrible, disgusting waste of space you are. And no matter how much you do it, it doesn't change the fact that you are one of the most horrible, vile and malicious ponies I know. I can't help having an eye problem! How does that change me? How does that make me a target for ridicule and abuse? But, since I say that, almost everypony I knew was like that. Albeit you and my family". I exhaled, "My daughter has been diagnosed with esotropia. Of course, that'll mean that she'll get bullied and mocked, but I can't do anything about it". Ditzy sat up and looked at me, "Why?". I lowered my head, "Snow kicked me out. We had a small argument and it snowballed into something huge, ultimately ending in her kicking me out. And now that she's a single mother she'll be out looking for another stallion as a lover and as a father to Rose. I don't want to see Snow in the arms of another stallion and I don't want to see Rose grow attached to another stallion as a father. I can't control myself when I get too angry, upset or likewise. I hope that doesn't construe me as weak, Miss Ditzy". I felt my eyes stinging again, I felt nauseous, I felt alone... I felt dead inside. I had no more friends. My new family was gone. My future was bleak. Was there even a point in me living? I felt Ditzy place her hoof ontop of mine, "I don't think of you as weak at all, Crimson. It sounds like you're going through a rough time. Why don't you live with me and my daughter for a while? I could use somepony to do all the hard work, and I could pay you for it", I smiled gratefully, "Thank you but I wouldn't want to be an imposition, if you do have any work I'd be happy to do it but I wouldn't expect you to let me live with you". A small unicorn filly came up to the booth and clambered up to sit next to Ditzy, "This is my daughter, Dinky Doo. She's my pride and joy". Dinky blushed nervously and hung on tight to Ditzy, "Is he another bully?". I shook my head, "No, Miss Dinky, I mean you no offense. I was just talking to your mother, is that okay? If you want me to go, just say so". Dinky let go of Ditzy and looked at me suspiciously, "I guess you're okay. But no mean words to my mommy, mister", I laughed at her fairly high but official voice, "I promise I won't, Miss Dinky". Ditzy hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead affectionately, "It's no imposition, Crimson. I'd be happy to help out a friend. The apartment is three-bedroomed anyway, there's enough room". I was about to politely decline, but it did seem like a great idea. What could I do anyway? Sleep in the streets, being looked down upon by the hoity-toity bigwigs of Canterlot? No thanks. "Well, okay, Ditzy. But I'm paying rent, okay?". Ditzy nodded, "If it'll make you feel better, Crimson". Dinky tugged at Ditzy's arm, "Mama, can I play on my PonyStation?". Ditzy nodded and pulled a PSP from her satchel, "Here you are, Muffin". Dinky took it, smiling happily, "Thank you, Mama". I turned to Dinky, "What games do you play on that?". She clamped her tongue between her lips in concentration, "Just some games. I have USG: Equestria, Equine Kombat Portable and Celestian Fantasy VII". I smiled, "Oh, so you're a real gamer?", Dinky nodded proudly, "Yup. My Mama doesn't like the games I play, she says they're too bloody and scary". Ditzy rolled her eyes playfully, "Because they all are. Young fillies shouldn't see stuff like that. I walked in on her playing a game the other day and she practically tore somepony to pieces. But, she's a good girl and I like treating her". I wish I could of spoiled Rose before I had to leave... "She's cute, Ditzy. I'm happy for you". Ditzy sighed contently, "It's refreshing to have a conversation with somepony for once. All I get is spiteful comments and veiled insults. Or if I'm talking they talk to me like I'm handicapped. It's beyond a joke". Dinky's face dropped suddenly, "Oh no! My battery died! Aww!". Ditzy exhaled sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Muffin. I knew I should've charged it before we left". I pulled out my phone and offered it to Dinky, "Here, Miss Dinky. I have a few good games on here", Dinky looked at Ditzy for permisson. "What do you say to Mr. Crimson?". Dinky smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Mr. Crimson!", she took my phone excitedly and sweeped around the touchscreen expertly. "Thank you, Crimson, that was very sweet of you. She's very careful with technology I assure you she won't break it", I laughed warmly, "I don't mind, she is a very nice and polite filly. I've been meaning to ask... who is the father?". Ditzy's face dropped noticably, "I'm sorry, Miss Ditzy. You don't have to answer". She shook her head, "No, it's okay. It's just that her biological father... was a very bad man. I was only in college when I conceived Dinky. He was a horrible and manipulative stallion who took advantage of me. I was alone and frightened and bullied and isolated. He made me feel special when no-one else did. Then he tried it on with me...", she started tearing up, "I-I said no, but he forced himself onto me. I was scared and I didn't think I could tell anypony. So I dropped out of college and tried to find a job to support my daughter. Luckily, a job as a mailmare came up and I was able to grab it. But now, when everyone makes fun of me and calls me names and isolates me... I just think Dinky and I need a fresh start". I held her hoof in mine, "I understand. If you ever want to talk I'm here for you, Ditzy". Dinky put my phone down and hugged Ditzy tightly, to which Ditzy returned the hug, stroking Dinky's hair softly. Ditzy wiped her tears away, "It feels good to get it off my chest, I'm sorry to put you in the spot. I just wanted to tell somepony to relieve myself of the pent-up guilt and anger and confusion. You're such a gentleman". I blushed, "Heh, I just do my best. Tell you what, I'll head up to the dining cabin and get us something to eat. What would you two like?". Dinky looked up at me excitedly, "Me and Mama like muffins!", Ditzy smiled, "You don't have to, I've got some food with us". I raised my hooves in dismissal, "No, no, you two deserve a treat. I'll get us all a muffin and maybe some coffee for the adults?". Ditzy nodded, "Thank you, Crimson". Dinky looked a little crestfallen, "I'm a big pony! Can I have some coffee?". Ditzy smiled sadly, "No, Muffin, you need to get some rest soon. It's almost a sixteen hour train ride to Canterlot". I shrugged, "How about a hot chocolate, kiddo? Something to help you warm up and relax. That sound good?", Dinky smiled happily and nodded, "Thanks, Crimson!".

Dinky bit down into the blueberry banana muffin hungrily and 'mmm'ed loudly, "Thfanks Crimffon, I waff really hunmry", Ditzy giggled playfully, "Dinky, don't talk with your mouth full". Dinky shut her mouth and chewed slowly, "Fworry". I laughed quietly, Dinky was such a sweet young thing, "What a polite and obedient young filly you are, Dinky. Your mommy must be proud". Dinky blushed proudly, she swallowed and said "Thank you". Ditzy bit into her blueberry banana muffin softly, only taking a small bite, "Thank you so much for the muffin and coffee, Crimson. I was starving". I smiled, "It's no problem at all, Ditzy". I paused for a second to admire Ditzy a little longer. She was a beautiful pegasus, her eyes were a beautiful light golden colour with a reddish-orange highlight, her hair was a wonderful blonde colour. She had an amazing, loving and kind personality to match. But I wasn't looking for a new partner right now, and from the sound of it neither was she. I pulled out my wallet, taking great care in taking out the only picture I had of Rose. She was only a few days old, smiling happily while cuddling with her mommy. "Crimson? Are you alright?", I looked up, Ditzy and Dinky were watching me with sympathetic eyes, "Are you crying, mister Crimson? Are you sad?". I forced a smile, "I just miss my little girl, Dinky", I handed her the picture, "She's only a month old". Dinky took the picture carefully and gazed at it while Ditzy looked at it over her shoulder, "She's adorable, Crimson". I nodded, "Yeah. She's my special little girl". Dinky pointed to Snow Sweet, "Is this your special somepony, Mr. Crimson?", Ditzy blushed, "Oh, Dinky, don't-", I raised my hoof, "It's okay, Ditzy. She was my special somepony, Dinky. But she doesn't love me anymore so I'm moving to Canterlot". Dinky looked embarassed and ashamed, "I'm sorry, Crimson. I didn't mean to". I smiled and ruffled her hair, "It's okay, Dinky. I don't mind. You finish your supper". Dinky smiled comfortingly and went back to eating her muffin. I lifted mine up and took a smile bite, it tasted amazing and warm. I let out a small 'mmm' of content, which made Ditzy giggle. I blushed a bit, "Heh, it's good". Dinky finished her muffin and took a sip of her hot chocolate with marshmallows, blowing it first, "This is nice". I nodded, "Glad you think so". Ditzy put her muffin down and pushed it towards Dinky, "You wanna finish it, Muffin?". Dinky nodded, "Yes please, Mama", she took it and bit into it, smiling happily while doing so. "Aren't you hungry, Ditzy?", she nodded, "Yes, but I want Ditzy to be healthy and have a good amount of food in her. We haven't been eating a lot recently due to money issues". I stopped eating my muffin, "Really?", Ditzy sighed and nodded slowly. I put my muffin down and pushed it to Ditzy, "Have mine. I don't want you to go without". Ditzy was about to object but I raised my hoof, "I don't wanna hear it, you need your strength to bring up a child". Ditzy silenced and looked down at the muffin, "Are you sure? I'm okay, Crimson". I nodded, "Please eat it for Dinky. You need your strength". Ditzy smiled, "Thank you so much, you're very kind". Dinky yawned quietly and rested her head on Ditzy's shoulder, "I'm tired, Mama. Can you sing your poem to me?". Ditzy smiled and rested her head ontop of Dinky's, "Okay, Muffin". Ditzy began stroking Dinky's hair gently, "Little Dinky, I love you, I know that you love me too. You make me smile every day, I love you in every way. It's time to go to bed, time to lay your sleepy little head. Even in the darkness, a light shines through. That light is my love for you. Little Dinky, without you, I don't know what I'd do. When I'm sad and when I cry, you're there to wipe the tears from my eyes. Even when you're dreaming and far away, Mama will always keep you safe. Nopony else has ever knew, the love that I have for you". Dinky was now fast asleep, rising up and down slightly with each breath. "That poem was lovely, Ditzy. You're an incredible mother", Ditzy blushed lightly, still stroking Dinky's light blonde hair, "I thought of it when she was just a baby, she's fallen asleep to it ever since". I pulled my work jacket from my duffel bag, "Do you want something to keep her warm?", Ditzy nodded, "Thank you, Crimson". Ditzy took the jacket and placed it over Dinky's torso, but it easily covered her completely albeit her head. Ditzy covered her mouth as she yawned, "I'm gonna try to sleep myself, is that okay?". I nodded, "Of course it is. Sleep well, Ditzy". Ditzy shut her eyes and rested her head on the window frame, "You too". I took my phone from the table and opened up my messages, there were none. No emails, no missed calls, nothing. I was actually pretty glad that no-one tried to contact me, they need to move on and forget about me. I just hope Mana doesn't resent Snow. I wish this never happened. Right now I just want nothing more than to cuddle with Snow and Rose. But that wasn't gonna happen. I suppose it could be worse, Ditzy did welcome me with open arms. I have a roof over my head and enough money for food. It's not gonna be pleasant but I'll pull through. After all, tomorrow is a fresh start.


End file.
